The Shield's Dragon
by Mugiwara N0 Luffy
Summary: Kazuma Kiryu didn't think he had much left to do in his life in regards to fighting. But as it turns out, he still had a lot more work to do. But this time, he'll be the one to help share the burden with a broken hero. (SPOILER ALERT: Yakuza 6 endgame spoilers)
1. A Legend Begins

**Disclaimer: I own neither the Yakuza series or Rising of the Shield Hero. Please support the official releases.**

A Legend Begins

Julius Harken was a man with little pride.

He was a disgraced warlock of the Melromarc Kingdom, banished by a supposedly 'wise' king for crimes of 'thievery'.

But Julius Harken knew it was because of a difference in opinions.

Julius had only tried to push for preparation of the Four Legendary Heroes, those summoned warriors brought forth from other realms, to combat the destructive Waves of Catastrophe... but when it came to the Shield Hero, King Aultcray was... coldly dismissive. Julius knew that the religion of the state did speak of a legend that painted the Shield Hero in a poor light, but thought it was no more than misinterpretation. Surely a Legendary Hero would be here to help the kingdom, not be its downfall.

But the King was adamant. And when Julius pushed too far, the king pushed back. A quick charge of thievery was placed upon his head, and he was duly banished from the castle and his station. A false crime that made the former royal warlock jaded.

And so, in a moment of anger and poor judgement, he stole a single artifact from the vault of royal warlocks; a pair of bracers, believed to have belonged to some unknown warrior of the past.

He wasn't sure just how much value they had, as the bracers had been locked away since before his own tenure at the castle; apparently, it was believed that they would summon a warrior to wield them, much like the weapons used by the Legendary Four Heroes. But despite every effort afforded to it, according to the other royal warlocks, they had yielded no results.

Some assumed that they were fake or just a false legend. But regardless, the Queen deemed them worth preserving. With that, the bracers were kept inside the vault.

Despite the possible consequences of getting caught, Julius took a chance and stole them. He had picked them specifically because they had been pushed to the back of the vault, with no one having spared a glance at them for a long time. Even if the bracers were useless, he figured that he could find some foreigner, or a fool maybe, and make some decent money off of them.

But as his fortunes seemingly turned sour... a light shined through the darkness for Julius Harken.

After returning to his old village, he had found his childhood flame there, as vibrant as ever. Melonie Birchum took him in when most others had shunned him and his reputation. He'd only been staying with her a couple months, but she had breathed life back into him and kept him from falling low. The relic sat in a storage shed, and similarly gathered dust as it had in the royal vault. He once considered returning them to the king for Melonie's sake, but was afraid that would only lead to his execution.

So what does Julius's pride have to do with anything?

Well. A man lacking pride, but not something to protect, meant that he wasn't afraid to beg when needed.

And right now he was praying to the gods by everything holy in the land of Melromarc that they would help him and his village.

"Please… please work…" Julius mumbled. His hand holding the chalk trembled slightly as he drew a pentagram on the ground of the shack around the bracers placed at the center.

"Julius, we should go! You said yourself that you don't know if they'll do anything!" Melonie pleaded, standing watch by the door. The cries of desperation and fear filled the air. Bandits had come to their modest village in the night, raiding the houses and beating on the villagers. But of course, the knights and guards that were supposed to protect this village were nowhere to be found. Though in their defense, they were fresh out of the first Wave, so a good number of them had to leave and recover from the battle.

"I-I don't have a choice, Melonie! I don't know any offensive spells! Even if we run into the forest, I don't know that I can protect you!" Julius admitted, finishing the edge of the pentagram and sighing. "I'm going to imitate the same ritual taught to the royal warlocks to summon the Legendary Heroes. If that won't bring us anyone, then nothing will. But even so, perhaps I can spark enough magic in them to use myself..."

"Julius, please-please hurry, then!" Melonie begged, deciding to trust him as she propped the door with a chair to keep it blocked. She held a dagger in her hand, though it trembled in her grip.

"Oh, great warrior from beyond… please heed my call…" Julius muttered, putting his hands together. They ignited with the faint light of magic, the drawn pentagram beginning to glow with them. "No king or knight will protect us… so please… please be the protector we truly need…"

"Hey, what's with the lightshow back there?!" They heard a muffled shout, causing Melonie and Julius to inhale a breath.

"Please, hurry!"

Julius bit his bottom lip until it was bleeding, his hands gripping together painfully. _Please… please just… give us something…_ _ **anything**_ _! I can't lose Melonie. I won't…_

Another faint light began to rise, causing Julius to open his eyes and see that the bracers were now glowing. Blue flame and sparks began to burst around them, and they soon started hovering in the air. Julius and Melonie's jaws fell in awe, watching as an ethereal body began to take shape. The bracers moved to the body's arms, forming around its hands. As the body became more and more solid, the details of the man became clear.

He was a young adult, as far as they could tell, a man with a solid stature. He was well built and tall, though the extent of his musculature was hidden behind his strange but nice clothing, which consisted of light gray garbs with a dark red undershirt. As his facial features solidified, it was revealed that he had short black hair and a handsome, high boned face.

As his body became completely whole, the man fell to one knee and started to heave for air, sweat trailing down his face.

"What just… happened..?"

Kazuma Kiryu was confused and shaken, to say the least.

It had been a month since he left Haruka and Sunflower Orphanage after his 'death'. He was just settling back into his former persona of Suzuki, and even started working at his old taxi agency again. Life had been rough since leaving his family behind, the thought of never seeing them again still raw.

But at this very moment, that was the furthest concern from his mind.

Kiryu heaved for air, sweat trailing down his scalp as he looked around. A man and a woman, foreign as far as he could tell and dressed in strange rags, stood before him in a small space.

"What just… happened..?" Kiryu mumbled, leaning on one knee as he tried to gain his bearings.

"I-It worked, Melonie… we summoned the warrior…" The man said, staring at Kiryu in awe.

"I… I didn't think that…" the woman mumbled, a hand going to her mouth.

"W-Who are you?" Kiryu asked, slowly pushing off his knee and leaning a hand against the back wall. "Where am I?!" Were these people speaking Japanese? Kiryu wasn't sure, but he understood their language. And when he spoke, he seemed to match it. "What the hell is going on?!"

"P-Please, Gauntlet Warrior. We mean you no harm!" The man said, stepping in front of the woman and bowing his head. "I wish I had more time to explain, but right now there's-"

The door behind them suddenly swung open, causing the man and woman to turn around in fear. Three men shuffled inside, each one burly and muscular, wearing animal fur vests and ragged pants.

"Well, well~! What do we have here?" One of the thugs laughed, grinning at the man and woman devilishly. "Such a pretty thing we've got here. And what's this, a warlock? How fancy."

"We got some other fool here too, boss," one of the other goons pointed at Kiryu, the former gangster narrowing his eyes at them in confusion.

"Not like it matters. Kill the men and take the woman. We'll have some fun with her."

Kiryu's eyes widened in alert, watching as the thug in front of him cackled and brandished his axe.

"What the hell? What's going on here?!" Kiryu demanded, balling his fists as he looked at the approaching thug. He blinked suddenly, realizing that he could feel something over his hands. He looked down, blinking at the gauntlets now adorning his arms. "What are these..?"

"N-No! Stay away!" Julius cried, holding up his hand and casting some magic. But the thug quickly grabbed his wrist, pushing his aim away before grabbing his throat with his free hand.

"Julius!" The woman cried in fear, watching as the thug slammed the warlock against the shack wall.

"Like magic like that means anything at this close of range, fool! Now watch as we take your woman!" The leader laughed before turning back to the thug approaching Kiryu. "Hurry up and kill him already!"

"Aye aye!" Kiryu drew his attention back to the thug in front of him, watching as he raised his axe in the air.

Kiryu didn't give him a chance to bring it down, smashing his fist square into his jaw and sending him flying back.

"Gagh!" The bandit cried, falling flat on his back as a red mark formed on his other present company blinked, looking down at the bandit before looking up at Kiryu.

"I've got no idea what's happening right now… but if you're planning to go through with what you said, I don't have to think too hard about what I'll do with you," Kiryu said, rolling his neck and cracking it before taking his usual fighting stance.

"T-That bastard…" The bandit grumbled, slowly sitting up and rubbing his cheek.

"Hmph! You can act as tough as you want! You can't take the three of us out alone!" The leader growled, releasing Julius as he and the other two focused solely on the former gangster.

"If you really believe that, then come at me," Kiryu narrowed his eyes before letting his gaze drift to Julius. "Hey. When I'm done with these three, I want an explanation."

"I-I'll tell you whatever you want…" The warlock promised, rubbing his neck while Melonie leant down at his side.

"Good," Kiryu side stepped an axe swing he was expecting from the first bandit, immediately bringing his fist around and punching straight into the man's gut and making him buckle over.

"Die!" Another shouted, swinging a dagger at Kiryu's neck. The former gangster lowered his head and avoided the blow, pushing the first breathless goon into him with a forward kick and knocking them over.

"Son of a bitch!" The leader snarled, lunging at Kiryu with a sword overhead. Kiryu closed the distance though, swinging his arm around and landing a powerful counter hook to his sternum and sending him flying back into the wall.

Blue sparks and flames started to surround Kiryu's gauntlets, causing him to hesitate for a single moment to look down at them. _What's going on..? Why are they_ -

Kiryu remembered what he was doing and quickly spun on his heel, looking at the one thug that had yet to receive any real damage as he tried to clamber to his feet. He took his snake skin dress shoe and kicked it hard into the bandit's face. From the way it cracked, Kiryu had no doubt that it was broken. Not that he was going to sympathize.

His attention quickly shifted to the man who had attacked him first, watching as he stumbled to his feet. "I'll kill you, you son of a-"

Kiryu simply grabbed him by the collar, smashing his fist twice into his face and likely breaking his nose as blood spurted out of it. As if that wasn't enough, Kiryu swung his head back before delivering a devastating headbutt square between his eyes. If his nose had somehow not broken from the first punches, it was certainly shattered to pieces now.

Kiryu watched him fall back irst into the ground, his eyes rolled up in his head as he blacked out. He spared a look back at the leader, eyes narrowed dangerously as he took slow steps toward him.

"Wh-What the hell are you, man?! What the shit?!" He cried, the grip on his sword shaky as he pointed it at Kiryu. Kiryu didn't answer, stalking toward him slowly and tightening his fists. Swallowing a lump in his throat, the bandit summoned his courage and charged at Kiryu, sword aimed to stab through his gut. "Just die!"

Kiryu sidestepped the sword, bringing a wide hook-straight combo into the bandit, making him drop the sword. The bandit choked on his breath, but thought he would try his hand at a brawl with Kiryu. Obviously his dumbest move so far, as Kiryu quickly followed up with an upper cut into his jaw before a back handed club, knock his opponent flat on his back. For good measure, as the bandit groggily attempted to climb to his feet, Kiryu did a small running jump with his fist reared back, bringing it down in a full body motion punch. The bandit was out like a light as Kiryu followed through and landed on his back. Not wanting to drop his guard, Kiryu quickly climbed to his feet, getting into a stance as he looked around at each bandit. Seeing that each one was out cold, Kiryu relaxed, straightening out.

Kiryu blinked when he thought he saw _1500 XP_ pop up at the corner of his eye. _What… was that?_

"By the gods…" Julius mumbled, he and Melonie huddled together in the shifted his attention to them, stepping over the bodies and walking over to the two. They cowered back at first, intimidated after the display of power he just put on.

"Are you two alright?" Kiryu asked, causing them to blink. He waited for an answer, watching as the two slowly stood up and cautiously nodded.

"Y-Yes… thank you for saving us," Julius finally answered, wiping some sweat off his brow.

"It's nothing. But now that they're out of the way, I need answers. Where the hell am I?" Kiryu asked, his voice remaining even despite his words.

"Y-Yes, I-"

"Wait!" Melonie said, causing the two to look at her. "Pl-Please, I know this is so much to ask you, but those bandits weren't the only ones! There are bandits attacking the entire village! The knights won't be here soon enough and more people will be hurt! C-Can you please… please help the rest of the village?"

"Melonie…" Julius mumbled before looking at Kiryu. He got on his knees and bowed, causing Kiryu to raise a brow. "Yes, please. I promise… I promise to answer any questions you have and give you whatever is within my power to do… but please save this village!"

Kiryu looked between them, feeling his resolve for getting answers at this immediate moment crumble. He released a small sigh, turning his back toward them.

"Alright. I'll do it," Kiryu said, walking to the broken door. "Just be sure to keep your promise when all this is done."

"Thank you! We will!" The two cried out, their voices sincere. Kiryu felt a small smirk play on his lips,taking his leave of them.

 _Geez. I let myself get talked into another mess. Well, too late to back out, now._

* * *

"All of you! Gather the rest of the loot you can and get ready to go!" A bandit shouted from the main road of the village, riding a horse as he marched around town. "We've got time, but let's make sure to put some distance between us and this village long before the knights arrive!"

"Come on, boss! We don't gotta worry about them!" Another bandit laughed behind him, carrying a bag of loot over his shoulder. "They're still lickin' their wounds from the Wave!"

"Heh, maybe, but I'd rather we don't overstay our welcome," The leader laughed, raising his bent blade. "Come on, you lot! Don't have too much fun, now! We can celebrate once we're home free!"

"Celebrate on your own dimes, not other's."

The bandit leader and several around him hesitated, looking up the path to see Kiryu walk out from behind one of the buildings. His glare was fierce, eyes leering directly into the bandit leader's eyes.

"Ho~, what do we have here? Some wannabe hero?" A bandit laughed, grinning as he walked toward Kiryu with a club in hand. "You shoulda stayed in hidin' instead, dumbass! Now you get to-"

The bandit didn't get to finish his sentence as the Dragon of Dojima smashed his fist into his gut, knocking the breath out of him before bringing up his fist in a swift and powerful uppercut, sending him flying back. The bandit leader and his men's eyes widened, each one drawing their weapons as their comrade landed flat on his back.

"Hm. These aren't bad," Kiryu hummed, looking at the bracers on his arms. "I can barely feel them, but they certainly help add some weight to my hits."

"Tch! You'll pay for that! You wanna play hero?! Fine!" The bandit leader growled, raising his blade. "Everyone! To the center of town! We've got an idiot here who thinks he's gonna save this town! Let's give him the full experience, huh?!"

Kiryu's eyes drifted to the side, watching as burly men started to empty from the houses of the village, numbering at around thirty from what he could see, each one brandishing some club, sword or daggers. They all laughed as they started to surround him in a large circle, the leader moving ahead on his horse and grinning darkly.

"Heh. Wanna rethink your little hero stunt? Not that it'll save you, but maybe we'll just beat the shit outta you without killing you if you get on your knees," The bandit leader laughed, pointing his sword at Kiryu. "Just get down on the ground and accept your beating!"

Kiryu was silent, his eyes still gazing around at the crowd now garnered. He could see Melonie and Julius peeking out from the side of their house, both looking on in terror at the numbers.

"Th-There are so many… why did he go out in the open and challenge them like this?!" Melonie asked in fear.

"I-I don't know… I-I have to help somehow, but… with so many…" Julius muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Kiryu finally answered the bandit finally, causing silence to fall as he turned his steely gaze to the leader. "I was just about to tell you that I hope you have more men."

That caused each bandit to actually hesitate, Kiryu's confident words and charismatic aura taking hold for a moment. But the bandit leader grit his teeth, raising his sword. "Don't get spineless on me now, you rats! It's only one man! Take him down!"

Their leader's words roused the bandits, bringing back their resolve as they found courage in their numbers and started to approach Kiryu.

"If we're doing this, then fine," Kiryu cracked his neck side to side before rolling his shoulders and balling his fists. The same blue flame and sparks returned to his gauntlets as before.

"Then come on already!"

 **(Yakuza 0 OST: Tusk)**

The bandits rushed all around Kiryu, their weapons raised above them as they all aimed to end him swiftly. Of course, the Dragon of Dojima was more than used to seeing the sight of armed men numbering this high try to take him on. It never ended well for them.

Kiryu did a quick step to the closest bandit, doing a quick straight punch to his gut and making him buckle over. The former gangster then grabbed his poor cloth shirt tight, watching his surrounding enemies closely. For some reason, his bracer's aura changed from blue to orange.

He didn't give it much thought though, quickly raising the man into the air and swinging him around like a ragdoll into the other bandits that tried to close the distance. Kiryu felt a strange amount of new strength as he swung him though, as if he had suddenly been boosted. He could always fling men like this around, but this seemed so effortless even by comparison to when he was at his strongest.

Kiryu swung the man around several times, creating a decent amount of space around him before finally tossing him into several men and knocking them all over. The remaining bandits now had a taste of his strength, each one recoiling as they now erred on the side of caution when it came to approaching the Dragon of Dojima. The bandit leader saw their fear and grit his teeth, no less intimidated by Kiryu but remaining in control.

"Tch! Let's see how you handle arrows! Archers!"

Kiryu saw several men move out in front of the crowd, numbering at least five men wielding bows and arrows. Though in Kiryu's honest opinion, he wasn't impressed. Arrows don't move nearly as fast as bullets.

Kiryu dashed forward, heading for the closest archer. Each bandit quickly nocked an arrow, taking aim as they tried to remain calm. But as their arrows flew, they watched as Kiryu simply dodged and sidestepped each arrow that got close. The bandit he was charging gawked, fumbling for another arrow in his quiver. Kiryu obviously didn't give him the chance to even load it.

His gauntlets changed color again, this time shifting to a pinkish hue. Kiryu wasn't sure why that was happening, but again tossed the thought aside. He slammed his fist into the bandit's gut, this time with enough force to send him flying straight back and into a crowd of others behind him.

Kiryu didn't linger, quickly shifting his gaze to the next archers as they took aim. He easily dodged several arrows again, but he noted how while his strength seemed to level back out, his speed was tremendous. He could always dodge things like arrows or throwing knives without problem, but the effortlessness he felt in doing it now was almost unreal.

Using the newly found speed, Kiryu quick-stepped forward and closed the gap between him and the archers, positioning himself evenly between them with a single action in mind. The aura changed again, shifting from pink to a fierce red hue.

"D-Die, damn it!" The first archer he approached cried out, taking one more shot with his arrow only to have it evaded. Kiryu curled his shoulder back to dodge it, dashing in front of the bandit as he did so before bringing a fist up for an uppercut straight to his jaw. He didn't stop there though, eyes trailing to the next archer before dashing at blinding speeds to the next one. The bandit didn't even have a chance to put his guard up, receiving a quick one-two punch to the face that dazed him before Kiryu brought the back of his fist up into his temple, causing him to flip in the air and face plant. The Dragon of Dojima didn't stop, dashing to the next archer and bringing the forearm of his bracer straight into his nose and breaking it. He looked to the last shaking archer and dashed at him, grabbing his wrist just as he was about to grab another arrow. Kiryu brought his arm back and chopped the man's wrist hard enough to bring him to one knee, crushing the bones in his arm in the process. If that wasn't enough, Kiryu brought back his right hand and hit him with the back of his fist hard enough to make the bandit flip in the air.

Kiryu hadn't counted how many he had taken out in his wake, but a quick look around revealed it to be quite a few already. Around ten men were left, but the last ten men were already cowering back in fear, the fight gone from them in a matter of moments. Even their boss was sweating in fear, swallowing a large lump in his throat as he gripped his sword tensely.

"I'll give you this chance to surrender and answer for hurting the people here. But if you don't drop your weapons now, I'll tear the rest of you apart," Kiryu declared, raising his hand in front of him and balling it into a crackling, red flamed fist.

"D-Don't fuck with me!" The bandit leader cried out, dismounting from his horse and pointing his sword forward. "W-We're not gonna let one man throw us all away! I'll kill you myself! Let's finish this, boys!"

His men decided to stand their ground, starting to crowd Kiryu again with weapons raised cautiously. Kiryu simply gave a quick glance around before letting out a small breath.

"Have it your way."

Kiryu didn't give them an edge, quickly spinning around and slamming his armored fist into a bandit that attempted to blindside him. He gave two powerful punches across each side of his jaw before bringing up his fist into a powerful uppercut, causing the bandit to fly into the air with his legs up. Kiryu immediately took advantage, grabbing his legs under both arms and literally swinging him in a wide circle, smashing him into the rest of his comrades before tossing him aside. Before one of the bandits could recover, Kiryu immediately stomped his foot on his face, knocking him out.

"Die!"

Kiryu evaded a sword swipe from the leader, the last man to be standing. Unlike the rest of his men, Kiryu saw a bit more skill in the way he held his blade out. Not that it mattered to the Dragon of Dojima. Kiryu put his hands up in front of his face, doing a small bounce step as he decided upon Rush Style. As if mirroring his thoughts, a pinkish hue returned to his gauntlets.

"Come!"

The bandit leader grit his teeth, hesitating a moment before snarling as he swung his blade. Kiryu swiftly deflected it with a quick punch, causing the boss to flinch and hold his sword tight. He let out another grunt, swinging the sword back around for another swipe, only to have Kiryu deflect it with a straight punch that threw the bandit off balance. Kiryu quickly followed up with four devastating straight punches to his sternum, taking the breath out of him. Taking a single step back for momentum, Kiryu finished off the bandit leader with a double fisted tiger punch, sending the bandit sailing back with a broken collar bone.

Kiryu stood at full length, taking a deep breath as everything seemed to wind down. Opening his eyes, he raised a brow when he saw _15,000 XP_ pop up at the corner of his eye gain. _So that wasn't my imagination. What the hell is that?_

"G-Gods…" Kiryu slowly turned around, looking to see not only Julius and Melonie, but the entire village coming out of hiding. Men, women and children slowly approached from all sides, some looking battered and bruised or injured. But despite that, all eyes were on Kiryu, staring in complete awe.

"Hey," Kiryu said, his eyes directed at Julius. "You should all tie these guys up in case they try to get back up. They should be alive… probably."

"Y-Yeah, okay then," Julius nodded, looking back at the rest of the village, waving his arm. "Come on, everyone! Let's not waste anytime! We'll tie them all up and have them ready for the knights!"

It took a moment for the rest of the villagers to move, but ultimately a good number gave a resounding 'yeah!'. Kiryu stepped over the bandits at his feet, moving to join Julius and Melonie. But before he could, he found himself crowded by people, causing him to recoil slightly.

"Th-That was amazing, mister!"

"Thank you!"

"You're very brave! Are you one of the heroes?!"

"H-Hey, wait…" Kiryu mumbled, the amount of people crowding him and talking causing him to fluster up a bit. Julius and Melonie watched him for a moment, small smiles spreading across their faces.

"I wasn't sure what to expect from the summoning ritual, but this… this seems good," Julius admitted, looking at his childhood friend.

"I agree. Though, we still have quite a bit to answer for him, don't we?" Melonie giggled, earning a tired sigh from Julius.

"Yes… yes we do."

* * *

"... Another world?"

After the bandits had been handled and locked up, Julius and Melonie took Kiryu to their home once they were able to get him away from the crowd of curious villagers. From there, they made him dinner with what had survived the raid, sitting by the fire as Julius went on to explain everything to Kiryu. Though it was taking the Dragon of Dojima some time to process exactly what was being given to him.

"Yes… using the gauntlets on your arms, I was able to conjure a ritual that brought you here. I'm sorry to have done that so suddenly and without your permission, but… I was desperate, as you saw," Julius sighed, awkwardly rubbing his hands together. "But know that every single person in this village appreciates what you did. Thank you, honestly."

Kiryu remained silent, taking a moment to think on his current situation. He would have thought it were a dream had things not felt so real fighting out there. Part of him did. But his instincts were telling him that it was the truth. Everything he saw out there was real. The old houses, the bandits and their outdated weapons.

 _It's all real. But that also means…_

Kiryu's eyelids tightened as he felt his heart ache. "Is there… any way I can go back?"

"P-Possibly. I don't have the spell to do so, but I can do some deeper study to find one…" Julius said, bringing Kiryu's attention up to him. "Again, I'm so sorry. If you give me time, I can try to find a way back for you."

"We didn't mean to put you in such a desperate spot. Whatever we can do for you, we will," Melonie added, giving a sympathetic smile.

Kiryu's eyes drifted to the small fire under the chimney. Haruka, Haruto, Sunflower Orphanage. They were all so far away from him now. Much farther than he ever meant to put between him and the children when he 'died'. But despite a lingering want to be close to them, Kiryu knew that he had already cut off all chances of seeing them again. With that in mind, even if Kiryu returned to his world, he had nothing to go back to.

"Forget it. I… don't need to go back."

Julius and Melonie blinked, looking at one another before back at him. "What?"

"I've got nothing waiting for me in my world. In fact… it's probably better that I stay here, anyway," Kiryu admitted, his voice sullen.

Silence fell upon them, questions now building up between Melonie and Julius about the curious man in front of them. But not wanting to leave things with that, Julius spoke again.

"Well… if it helps, we were planning to let you stay with us until I was able to find the spell, but…" Julius looked at Melonie, the kind woman giving a small nod in approval. "But if you need a place to stay for the time being, you're welcome to stay here as long as you need to. It's the least we can do."

"... Normally I wouldn't want to impose, but… I really don't know anything about where I'm at or where I would go otherwise. I'll take you up on that," Kiryu nodded in acceptance.

"Good to hear. Well, with that out of the way, is there anything else you'd like to know?" Julius asked, causing Kiryu to hum. He looked down at his arms and raised a brow.

"A few things still, but… Let's start with these. What are they?" Kiryu asked, holding up his forearm.

"Oh, those are your personal weapon," Julius started, holding his chin. "They're what brought you to this world as you were their chosen wielder. I don't know many details to be honest as I had um… appropriated them from my previous job." Melonie gave him a disappointed look while the warlock could only laugh sheepishly. "I wasn't sure I could even summon you to be honest. Rituals performed on the gauntlets up until now have never been successful."

"Chosen wielder? Chosen by who?"

"The weapon itself, maybe? Perhaps the gods?" Julius shrugged with a frown. "No one knows exactly how heroes are elected. Though from what we all saw, I doubt it's done at random."

"I see…" Kiryu mumbled, not sure he would get anymore answers in regards to the bracers. He soon gave a thought about taking them off. In response, the gauntlets began to glow before reducing in size. Kiryu blinked as his hands and forearms were reduced to small forearm pads, feeling light as a feather on his arms. He pulled at the sleeves of his jacket and shirt and found it easy to pull out from under it, but it remained attached to his body. "I'm guessing… these don't come off easy."

"N-No. If it's anything like the weapons that the other Heroes have, it'll remain attached to your body. But at least you should be able to move it around your body without problem and reduce its size as you wish!" Julius offered in an attempt to be positive.

"That sounds pretty inconvenient, still…" Kiryu sighed in defeat, shaking his head. "But what's this about other heroes?"

"Oh, well, as I said you wouldn't be the first to be summoned from another world. It has happened before with other legendary weapons."

"I see… I doubt it, but it makes me wonder if I know anyone that was summoned before…" Kiryu said, holding his chin curiously.

"Perhaps you'll meet some throughout your stay here," Melonie said this time with some interest. "The Legendary Heroes will soon be summoned to deal with the Waves of Catastrophe."

"Waves of Catastrophe?" Kiryu raised a brow at the ominous name.

"Perhaps we should save that discussion for tomorrow. The waves are something of their own beast," Julius sighed, wiping his forehead of sweat. "We've handled one problem with bandits today. I don't want to pressure our guest with more dark tidings."

"O-Oh, you're right. My apologies…"

Kiryu remained silent, deciding to let it go for now. He could just hear them out about the wave come tomorrow, even if it grabbed his curiosity. But he still had more questions that related to himself.

"Is there anything else we can clear up for you?" Julius asked.

"... One thing, I suppose." Kiryu said, looking up in thought. "After I beat those bandits in the shed and beat the bandits in the street, these numbers popped up next to the letters 'XP'. What's that about?"

"Oh? You don't know? Usually that kind of knowledge is known by the heroes, even though it's not something part of their lives beforehand," Julius mused, rubbing his chin. "Do you see the symbol at the bottom right corner of your vision?"

"Symbol?" Kiryu raised a brow before blinking. It was faint, but there was a small icon at the corner of his eyes that moved with his sight. "What is that..?"

"Try pressing it with your finger."

Kiryu felt awkward reaching for something that was only in his eye but obeyed. The moment he pressed the symbol, a strange set of images popped up like a menu floating in air. "Wh-What the hell?! What is…"

"That's where you can check your progress and strength from your actions! XP is gained from defeating opponents and monsters in battle, which build up your all around power," said Julius, causing Kiryu to stare in complete befuddlement.

… _What the hell. It's like a… video game? Though this looks way more complicated than anything I've ever played…_ The closest thing Kiryu could recall to ever seeing a menu this complicated was when Taishi had invited him to watch him play a video game. Games were far more complicated than when he was a kid, so he was easily lost even when Taichi was there to try and explain it for him.

Kiryu messed around with the menu, scrolling through his options where he saw his supposed 'level' next to his name. He was already at level 6, from what it was saying. Though how good that was, he didn't know. _This… this is weird. I thought I was in some sort of fantasy world, but… it's a video game world? Why? Is that even a thing?_

"Is everything alright, Mr. Kiryu?" Melonie asked, seeing the frown on Kiryu's confused face.

"Y-Yeah, I just… I don't know what to say about what I'm seeing right now…" Kiryu admitted, this 'menu' thing throwing him off more than anything else so far. It was like getting blindsided.

"Perhaps we can make that something else we go over tomorrow? I can explain the fundamentals to you if you like so that it's easier to understand," Julius offered.

"Y-Yeah, that'd be good… I have no idea what I'm doing with this…" Kiryu mumbled, trying but failing to make the menu leave his sight. "Uh… how do I turn this off?"

"Oh, just press the icon again or swipe it away from the top left corner."

Kiryu kept trying to swipe from the top corner, letting out a frustrated groan as he failed to do so. With a sigh, he touched the icon at the bottom corner, watching it disappear. "This is going to be more complicated than I thought…"

"Don't worry, Mr. Kiryu. I'll do my best to tutor you about anything you wish to know," Julius laughed sheepishly, feeling bad for Kiryu's plight. "How about we head to bed now and work on whatever else you want to know tomorrow?"

"Y-Yeah, I think that's a good idea…" Kiryu conceded, not sure if he was ready to deal with the amount of information that was about to be piled on him.

"Oh, here, Mr. Kiryu. I brought you this to wash your face off. You uh… did get some blood on you from the fighting," Melonie giggled, offering a wooden bowl of water.

"Thanks. I thought my face felt a bit weird," Kiryu nodded, taking the bowl and immediately splashing his face and scrubbing it with an offered rag. Once he felt that his skin had been cleaned, he removed the rag and picked up the bowl to hand back. "Thank…" Kiryu caught eye of his reflection, eyes going wide as he realized that what he saw… was a younger version of himself. Having a small freak out, Kiryu stood up suddenly and dropped the bowl, splashing water across the ground.

"Ah!" Melonie yelped in surprise.

"M-Mr. Kiryu! Is everything alright?!" Julius asked, standing from his seat in alert.

Kiryu stared down at the water, his eyes moving left to right. "S-Sorry, I… do you have a mirror?"

"A mirror? Why, yes, but… why?"

"I need to see it. Quick."

Melonie and Julius shared a glance before the former walked around the puddle and grabbed a hand mirror from the nightstand, handing it to Kiryu. Kiryu snatched it, quickly raising it to his face. Just as he thought, he wasn't seeing things. He looked literally twenty years young. Twenty seven to be precise. Even his hair was styled the same way as when he was a twenty year old.

"Is… something wrong?"

"... I guess not, but… I think that I was… made younger," Kiryu explained, his hand lightly brushing over his cheeks. "Before I got here, I was forty seven years old, but… I look like how I was almost three decades ago…"

"Y-You were deaged by the travel? That's… incredible," Julius said, eyes wide in disbelief. "I have heard that summons are generally around their teens to twenties, but I've never heard of someone being reversed in age by it."

"W-Well, that's a good thing, right?" Melonie offered hopefully.

Kiryu wasn't sure what to say. All he knew was that this was another thing on the list of crazy things he learned that night. So much had happened to him and changed, that he wasn't sure if he could even react anymore than he had.

"... I think I'm ready to sleep, now."

"Yes, I'm sure," Julius laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Let me lead you to your room, Mr. Kiryu. Thankfully we had one guest room left for use," Melonie said, waving for him to follow.

Kiryu stared at his face for a moment longer, unsure if he should feel happy about this change or not. He wasn't sure how to feel about any of this. But rather than dwell on it, he'd rather sleep on it.

"Okay. Thanks."

"Of course. And tomorrow, after you've gone over everything with Julius, we'll show you around our modest little village, Lute."

 **To be continued…**

 **update: The chapter has now been edited and cleaned up by my beta chidoriprime, who I sorely thank for their help :)**

 **Alright, finally! This story has finally begun! I've had this planned for so long but elected to wait until the anime had started so that I had a refresher of certain events! I'm so happy to see that Shield Hero is getting such a well done adaptation and I can't wait to see more of the story animated!**

 **Anyways, as you can all see, this is my latest crossover entry, The Shield's Dragon. I've been wanting to make a committed Yakuza crossover for a long time now, as the ones I have written I just was never able to fully buckle down and get into. But now, this marks the beginning of my next story to be updated on a schedule. Depending on popularity or just my mood for writing during the month, I may do monthly or bimonthly updates. Time will tell which it'll be. But I do look forward to writing this and can't wait to bring everyone this story, even if it doesn't end up being very popular :)**

 **And don't worry, I'm going to give the full Yakuza experience with this story. We'll have the main focus story, which is the serious, gritty part of it while also giving you guys chapters that focus on Kiryu getting into some dumb substory level situations XD As some people have pointed out to me in my previous Yakuza crossover, it's not Yakuza if it doesn't have hilarious and dumb substories lol**

 **Well, that's it for this first chapter, guys. I hope you all enjoyed and are looking forward to seeing more chapters for this come out! Please leave a follow, a favorite, and a review if you'd be so kind :)**


	2. Getting Adjusted

**I own neither the Rising of the Shield Hero or the Yakuza series.**

Getting Adjusted

Kiryu sat silently and soaked in all the information that Julius had to offer the following morning. Which was a lot. _Quite a lot_. First of all, this kingdom was a matriarchy, but the queen was away in another country currently, leaving a king who Julius obviously loathed to govern the land; the queen was a great ruler, but her husband seemed to be lost in his head. There were two crown princesses, the older one being a conniving snake and the other a wiser, somewhat naive but good hearted girl. Julius seemed thankful that the youngest had been chosen as heir apparent to the throne instead.

Then there was talk about these Waves of Calamity. Apparently, monsters appeared from the sky every few months that would threaten to destroy the land, though it had only really started to occur recently. Kiryu had the benefit of missing the first one to appear, though that was in part why the bandits had attacked; both the village and the knights had been weakened from the first Wave, leaving many isolated villages and towns vulnerable to things like bandit raids. Kiryu didn't understand why the Waves occurred, but Julius didn't seem to have an answer for that either. In a way, they were treated more like natural disasters. Personally Kiryu wasn't sure exactly how true that idea was, but it would do for now.

Then there was the discussion about his gauntlets. Julius had a theory that they were one of what he called Seven Star Weapons, some sort of legendary weapon for heroes just below the 4 Legendary Heroes themselves. Kiryu didn't understand that part so much. It didn't help that the warlock rambled on about several different theories that Kiryu merely sat through and listened to the best of his abilities. Once that was over, they talked about the 'menu' that Kiryu still barely understood the mapping of.

"Do you see the branches for your gauntlets? I imagine with the number of colors that they took on during your fight, there should be about four," Julius said.

"Y-Yeah, I think so… wait, I accidentally closed it…" Kiryu mumbled, feeling a bit impatient as he tried to navigate through the menu in thin air. "O-Okay, I think I've got it… yeah."

"Alright, just trace your fingers over each branch. It should show a name for the branches available to you."

"Got it…" Kiryu slowly did as the warlock suggested. As he traced his finger across the top section, he raised a brow when he saw the word **Brawler Style** appear in blue. He traced to the next one, the words **Rush Style** appearing in pink. The last two were **Beast Style** and **Dragon Style** appearing in yellow and red respectively.

"These are all the fighting styles I took on over the years. I guess that for a 'game' world like this, they were divided in separate categories…" Kiryu mumbled to himself, holding his chin.

"'Game' world? What do you mean?" Julius tilted his head to the side.

"A-Ah, nothing to worry about. Just thinking out loud…" Kiryu said, clearing his throat. _Things are already complicated as is. I don't need to add to that._ "I sort of get how these work, but… I could change fighting styles before coming here. I don't know how this is supposed to be special."

"Well, if you have four branches, each branch should provide you with a different boost in some way. Try looking into each branch specifically," Julius recommended. Kiryu sighed, growing tired of operating the 'menu', but doing as he was asked. He touched Brawler Style and raised a brow, watching as it enlarged across his vision.

 _ **Brawler Style: Provides a large boost in Power and a minor boost in Defense.**_

 _That's interesting. So the styles now operate with different 'boosts'? Well, I did feel different each time I switched styles._ Kiryu thought to himself, going to the other styles and looking at their benefits.

 _ **Rush Style: Provides a large boost in Speed and Evasion, but at a minor loss in Power.**_

 _ **Beast Style: Provides a large boost in Defense and a minor boost in Power, but a mild loss in Speed and Evasion.**_

 _ **Dragon Style: Provides a minor boost in All Stats.**_

 _I see. It looks like it took each of my style's strengths and weaknesses and made them more apparent. Even Dragon Style matches up, considering it's a combination of all the fighting styles in one._ Kiryu dismissed the menu, leaning forward on his elbows. "It matches up with what you said. I get a benefit but also a deduction from each style except my first and last one."

"I see. Your gauntlets certainly do seem to be full of mystery. There wasn't even much to know about them beforehand. But still… to stem from your own prowess seems… strange," Julius mumbled, causing Kiryu to raise a brow.

"What do you mean?"

"Well… typically, Vassal Weapons and the Four Legendary Weapons provide their own set of abilities and original branches. But from what you've said, it's merely taken what was already there and just provided some extra pros and cons to each of your fighting styles," Julius pointed out, humming in thought. "Well… perhaps as you level up and add materials to your gauntlets, that will change."

"Wait, so these things can do more?" Kiryu asked, looking down at his arms.

"They should, at least. Their variety should go up with the materials and bonuses you gain. At least, that's what would be the norm," Julius continued. "Well, your bracers are unorthodox and might not be what I think it is… I'll try to dig deeper into study and find out more for you."

"Thanks. Still, even after everything you've said, I'm not sure if I'm more informed or more lost at this point…" Kiryu sighed, standing from his seat.

"Sorry… I'm sure it's a lot to take in but feel free to ask me if there's anything else you need help understanding," Julius offered, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

"I will, thanks. But we've been at this for a while, so I think I'll take a break. Mind if I walk around town?" Kiryu asked, rolling his neck and cracking it.

"Be my guest! In fact, I'm sure the villagers have plenty they want to say in thanks," Julius chuckled. "Besides, considering you'll be staying, it might be best for the others to get to know you. Melonie is still working at the local tavern, so feel free to pop in there for a meal. Which reminds me: here," Julius pulled a small pouch off his belt, handing it over to Kiryu. "There's about two silvers worth in there. Feel free to get what you like from town."

"Thanks, I will," Kiryu nodded, stuffing the pouch into his pocket. "By the way, if I was to get a drink at the pub, how much would it be?"

"Ah, about five coppers. Remember that a hundred coppers equal one silver, and a hundred silvers would equal one gold," Julius said, guessing Kiryu's intent.

"I see. I'll pay you back when I can," Kiryu nodded, heading for the door to leave.

"Don't worry about it! It's the least I could give you, really. If you'd like, I can guide you around."

"No, that's alright. I need some time to myself to clear my head. I appreciate it, though," Kiryu shook his head. "I'll be back soon."

"Of course. I'll do my best to look for anymore information I can dig up!" Julius smiled before alarm stretched across his face. "O-Oh, one last thing, Kiryu! Um… regarding your bracers… if anyone asks where you got them, could you… not mention me?"

"Hm? Why?" Kiryu asked, raising a brow in question.

"W-Well, as I told you, I… appropriated those bracers from the castle after I was banished. So, if I could avoid people knowing about where they came from, I'd appreciate it…" Julius mumbled out, looking at the ground nervously as he spoke.

"I see. I won't mention any names if people ask, don't worry," Kiryu reassured, drawing a breath of relief from the former royal warlock.

"T-Thank you… again. Have a good walk, then."

Kiryu nodded in acceptance before opening the front door and leaving. His eyes strained at first against the bright sun hanging overhead. He had spent much of his morning sitting and talking with Julius inside, so this was the breath of fresh air he needed. A breeze gently brushed against him, the wind cool but not chilling, making the day all the more beautiful.

Kiryu spared a glance around, seeing the villagers moving about and making some repairs to their homes or running their businesses. Children played through the road, all laughing happily as they ran around.

"I am the weaponless hero! I can beat up lots of people with just some gauntlets!" A child proclaimed, punching the air at the other kids. They all made overly dramatic cries as they pretended to fall, each one carrying a wooden sword.

Kiryu raised a brow, a small smirk playing on his lips. _I guess that's supposed to be me. Just how many people saw what happened?_ Though Kiryu did recall the large crowd that had garnered shortly after he beat the final bandit. Now that he thought about it, he wouldn't be surprised if half the village had seen what happened. He was sure that they all knew by now, though.

"Hey, look! It's the Weaponless Hero!" One of the children called, pulling Kiryu from his thoughts. Before he knew it, a crowd of children surrounded him, causing him to take a step back in surprise. "Thank you, Weaponless Hero! You're so cool!"

"I can't believe you beat so many people without a sword!"

"Can you teach us how to fight like that?!"

"Hey, calm down. I can't answer everything at once…" Kiryu said, scratching the back of his head as he suddenly felt trapped.

"Ah, there's our savior!" A man said as he approached, a large piece of lumber over his shoulder. "We were wondering where you disappeared to! Hey, kids! Go play and leave the man alone!"

"Aw, but we wanted to talk to him!" The kids bemoaned in protest.

"No buts! I'm sure you'll get a chance later!" The man said, causing the children to grumble as they shuffled away from Kiryu. He let out a sigh of relief, still wanting his much needed breather.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Everything only happened last night, and those kids are already out an' about like nothin' happened. Well, it's probably for the best. It's thanks to you that they can relax, you know?" The man smiled, turning back around. "Everyone wants to show their appreciation, but we've all gotta make some repairs of our own. We'll be sure to show it soon!"

"You don't have to, but… I won't turn away any thanks," Kiryu smirked, watching as the man left him to head back down the road. _Well, I guess I should have expected to be stopped like that. Maybe I should walk around the edge of town to avoid anymore attention._

Kiryu held up the coin bag he'd been given, narrowing his eyes. _So, if three coppers are worth a beer here, then I'm guessing that a single copper would be around the same value of 100 yen. Though certain things might have less value here than back in my world… Man, I still have so much to learn._

Kiryu stuffed the bag away again before beginning to walk around. Considering his tenure in this village was going to be for some unknown amount of time, he wanted to familiarize himself with the area. He started by heading to the forefront of the village, giving a nod of greeting to those he passed along the way. It was a bit strange to be recognized by pretty much everyone in town, not to mention in a friendly sort of way.

As he reached the edge of Lute Village, Kiryu was greeted with a breathtaking view of a vast greenland, his eyes drifting across the sunlit country. A small forest laid just ahead of it, and a mountain stood close by on the village's left side. It was a sight Kiryu had only seen in movies or pictures, so he couldn't help but appreciate the spectacle now given to him. _Beautiful…_

"Hurry up and get on, you animals!"

Kiryu was pulled from his stupor when a voice echoed close by, his eyes trailing to the right. He raised a brow, seeing a company of fifteen to twenty armored soldiers at the edge of town. From what he could see, they were arresting the bandits that Kiryu had beaten the previous night, loading them onto several horse pulled carriages.

Kiryu decided to take a close look, interested in what the knights of the kingdom were like. Julius seemed to have mixed feelings when it came to them, saying that they weren't all bad but he had met a few that were obnoxious or were plain dicks.

As he approached, he noticed an elderly man standing with some of the knights, overlooking the process. One of the knights was a young man with blond hair hidden behind some chainmail and a helmet. Though what somewhat threw Kiryu off was what looked like a young woman with a wizard hat standing close to him, her facial features looking much like that of an animals. One of the things Julius mentioned was what people called Demi-Humans, a race of people with animal traits that could grow up incredibly fast by leveling up.

 _I guess I should have expected it, but… it is pretty surprising to see for myself._ That was the extent of Kiryu's opinion on the matter. Julius had mentioned that there was also a stigma against demi-humans scattered throughout the kingdom, though Lute Village wasn't one of those places. Thus, Kiryu decided that it was likely best to treat them like everyone else.

"Ah, there he is! The savior of the village!" The elderly man pointed out, causing Kiryu to become the center of attention again as the knights next to him looked to him in wonder.

"C-Crap! He's back!" One of the bandits yelped in fear, those not yet on the carriage beginning to freak out and recoil away from Kiryu as he approached.

"Settle down you whelps!" A knight shouted, he and a good number trying to contain the crowd.

"So it was you, huh? The hero that defeated all these bandits without a weapon?" The young knight asked eagerly as he and the demi-human girl approached with the elderly gentleman who had pointed Kiryu out.

"Well, I wouldn't call myself a hero, but… yeah," Kiryu nodded, deciding not to mention his bracers as he recalled Julius's words.

"That's so amazing! I can't believe you were able to do that bare handed and at a low level!" The knight said, his eyes shining with awe. "I truly appreciate your help in saving Lute Village from being raided by these men, truly!"

"You do?" Kiryu asked, surprised by his enthusiasm.

"Don't be too surprised. Our up-and-coming young knight here is actually from this modest village of ours," the elderly man said, patting the boy on the shoulder and making him blush bashfully. "By the way, it's a pleasure to meet you officially. I'm the lord of this town, and am thankful for everything you did."

"I wish we could have been here. But after the first Wave, a good number of our forces were needed back at the capital city," the young knight sighed before smiling. "But thankfully our town was blessed enough to have you come."

"I see. Well, I'm glad I helped out, then," Kiryu gave a small smile before his eyes trailed to the bandits, a frown forming now. It seemed that they were all watching him tensely as they slowly made their way onto the carriage. "Have they been giving you any trouble?"

"No, not much. Some are being a bit rowdy, but they're behaving themselves. I don't think they want another beating like what you gave them," the young knight laughed, his gazing moving to the bandits.

"Good." Kiryu's eyes narrowed at the bandits, filling those still getting loaded up with dread. "Because if they weren't, I'd be **quick** to remind them of last night."

The bandits trembled under his gaze, now beginning to scramble a bit as each one tried to hurry onto the cart.

"Hey, get back in order! Stop freaking out, you wimps!" A knight shouted as he and others tried to contain the crowd.

"You've really instilled them all with a fear of a beating, huh?" The demi-human mage giggled, looking at Kiryu innocently.

"I suppose," Kiryu smirked, watching the bandits struggle among themselves. That smirk fell when he watched one break off from the others, jumping at one of the knights and stealing his sword.

"H-Hey, stop!" a knight cried. The young knight and mage gasped, quickly moving to join the others and surround the lone bandit. Kiryu was quick to walk over as well while the elderly lord hung back, the Dragon of Dojima clenching his fists as he approached.

"S-Stay back or I'll kill him!" The bandit growled, putting the sword to the knight's neck. The other knights kept a certain distance, their spears and swords drawn but unable to move forward.

"Hey." Kiryu called out, looking at the bandits who had stopped from getting on. He could see their eyes, all of them assessing whether to take a chance at the sudden situation. "If I see any of you try to run or attack the knights, I'll bury you right now."

The bandits immediately shrunk back, quickly jumping into the cart.

"You cowards! We have the advantage here!" The lone bandit growled. Kiryu eventually identified him as the leader he had beaten at the end. "You! I'm gonna kill you the first chance I get!"

"If you couldn't do it last night, you're never going to get that chance," Kiryu scoffed, slowly tightening his stance as he prepared to make a move.

"Surrender now! You've got nowhere to go!" The young knight from Lute ordered, his voice more confident as he stepped closer to the bandit.

"If any of you gets too close, he's a dead man!" the bandit warned, pressing the blade closer to his hostage's throat.

Kiryu clicked his tongue, trying to think of the fastest solution to this problem. _I could go into Rush Style to try and close the distance before he does, but I don't know if I'll be fast enough._

Kiryu never had to make an attempt, though. As the bandit immediately found his head whipping back as a brick smashed into his face, forcing him to let go of the knight. Though Kiryu couldn't stop from widening his eyes as he watched the bandit sail several meters back like he'd been hit with a whole brick wall rather than a single brick.

"Such a rowdy brat, wasn't he?"

Kiryu whipped his head back, raising a brow when he saw an old woman standing there, giving him a gentle smile as she leaned on a cane. Kiryu noted that unlike the other villagers, the granny wore a chinese style dougi. She hunched over where she stood and her face was covered in wrinkles.

"Quick! Apprehend him!" One of the knights called, the others quickly obeying and tying up the still unconscious bandit. Kiryu spared a glance around, looking for anyone else who might have thrown the brick. When he saw no one, he looked back down at the old lady.

"Was that... you who threw the brick?" Kiryu asked in wonder.

"Hehe, maybe. I might look old, but I've still got a bit of strength in these old arms of mine," The granny giggled, giving him a kind smile.

"I-I see… thanks, then," Kiryu nodded, relaxing his stance as he walked up to the granny.

"Of course, young man. After last night's little fight, I thought it wouldn't be right to make you handle these brats again," the granny giggled into her hand, though she started to go into a small coughing fit. "E-Excuse me, I'm still a bit under the weather…"

"Are you alright?" Kiryu asked in concern.

"Yes, yes. Don't mind me. When you get to this age, everything seems severe…" the granny waved him off, turning around. "Well, I must be going. I'm actually not from around here. I just happened to be in town because I was trying to pick up some medicine. Doesn't look like they had what I was searching for, anyway..."

"Okay. Well, thanks again for the help, old lady," Kiryu said, bowing his head in appreciation before looking back to check on the knights.

"By the way…" Kiryu looked back at the granny, her back still to him. "I get the feeling you're not from… around here either. We've had quite a few 'travelers' to our country before, after all."

Kiryu raised a brow. He hadn't figured that someone would have pegged him so quickly as an 'otherworldly' human. Then again, he was still wearing his usual suit. He was sure that might have looked a bit suspicious on its own.

"You might be right... Why?"

"First, I'd like to commend your fighting skills. What you showed last night made it clear you're more than just a novice or even a seasoned hand-to-hand fighter. You're a master, no doubt. But tell me… how many beasts have you fought before?" The old lady asked, turning her head to look back at Kiryu.

The Dragon of Dojima's eyes trailed to the side, his thoughts immediately going to the two tigers he'd punched out some years ago and the bear he fought in Purgatory. "... a few, I suppose."

"Heh. It sounds like you've seen some fair amount of action, hm? Well, even so, I think you would do well to train yourself for fighting beasts more often and level up," The old lady said, beginning to walk toward the center of the village. "That mountain just to the side of the village would be a good place for that. Plenty of strong monsters in there that will help you level up and train for the Waves."

Kiryu's gaze floated to the mountain, not sure what to say to that. He looked back at the old woman, who was still walking away from him. "Wait. Why would you tell me that?"

"Why wouldn't I? You're planning to defend this village during the next Wave, aren't you?" The granny asked, stopping for a moment.

Kiryu remained silent. He honestly hadn't thought that far ahead, as Julius had said it was months away. Though, thinking about it and considering the fact that he was going to be staying in Lute for a while, he supposed that was the obvious choice.

"Of course, the Wave may not even come so hard against this place. It all depends on where it will hit hardest," The granny continued, beginning to walk forward again. "Still, better to be prepared, right?"

"... Who are you?" Kiryu asked, curious about the strangely strong old woman.

"Oh, no one. Just a washed out granny who's barely hanging on," she answered before going into another small coughing fit. "Well, it was nice to meet you, sonny. I've no doubt we'll meet again."

Kiryu watched her for a moment before shifting his gaze back to the knights, seeing the elderly lord and the young knight begin to approach him, the latter of which expressing apologies over their mistake, though Kiryu immediately dismissed it. He stood by and listened to the knight and lord prattle, but his thoughts returned to the old woman's words.

 _I guess she has a point about that. I still don't have a full grasp on this 'level' thing, but if I'm gonna be here, it'll probably be a good idea to train._

* * *

Kiryu spent some time talking with the lord and knight before finally parting ways. The knight had to leave with the rest of his company and the lord had to return to the village to deal with repairs. Kiryu found himself wandering around town again, getting to know where the markets and taverns were located throughout. It was a decent sized village, bigger than he realized. Still, it was a drastic change of pace compared to the bustling streets of Kamurocho or even the less busy areas of Okinawa.

 _This is a pretty comfy place. I bet Haruka and the kids would like it here,_ Kiryu mused to himself, eyes drifting around as he walked through the more a cigarette hung loosely at the edge of his mouth. A familiar loneliness crept up on him, again reminded of the otherworldly distance between him and Sunshine Orphanage. And again, he beat those feelings back, not allowing himself to be consumed by that sorrow. For in the end, he knew it was best this way.

 _Their lives will be better without me around. No more getting dragged into the underworld of the Yakuza._

"A-Ah, watch out, hero!"

Kiryu blinked, his head raising as he saw what looked like a large bird running toward him. He quickly stepped back, avoiding being barreled through by the strangely large bird. It had a full body of black feathers and an orange beak with a neck long enough to remind him somewhat of an ostrich. Kiryu could only raise a brow in wonder, watching as the black feathered bird turned a corner at a close building.

"What was that..?" Kiryu mumbled, his head turning back as he heard panting from behind. He looked to see a man hunched over and leaning on his knees, gasping for air.

"H-Hey, Weaponless Hero. That black filolial didn't run you over, did he?" The villager asked.

"No, I avoided it. What was that?" Kiryu asked, raising a brow.

"You don't know? That's what's called a filolial. They're big birds that people often use for riding or pulling carriages," the villager explained, pushing off his knees to stand up straight. "That one's a particularly rare one, though that's not always a great thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the way filolials work is that you hatch them from eggs. Depending on your luck, you can get a filolial worth a lot more and some traders will even give you the chance to hatch a dragon. That particular filolial is quite rare and worth a lot because it's stronger than the average filolial, but are known to have really bad temperaments and are hard to train," the villager said, causing Kiryu to raise a brow.

"You can get a dragon? That seems pretty far off from the bird I just saw," Kiryu pointed out, holding his chin.

"It is strange, but it's how it works. The dragons you get from those eggs only grow to the size of a filolial though, they don't get bigger than that."

"I see… so what's the deal with that filolial that you're chasing?" Kiryu asked curiously.

"Well, it is technically mine, but it's been a pain in the ass to have around. I tried to train it because I thought it really was a lucky pull, but it's becoming way too much of a hassle," the villager explained, shaking his head. "I'm likely going to sell it off soon. Though I guess it somehow picked up on that and bolted the first chance it got."

"I see. Well, sorry to hear about your trouble. Good luck catching it," Kiryu said before turning around to leave.

"W-Wait, before you go, hero…" The villager stopped him.

 _I could almost feel this coming._ "What is it?"

"Catching that thing is going to be a real pain in the ass. Not to mention that thing is actually strong as hell. Do you think you'd be able to help me hunt it down?" The villager asked, putting his hands together to plead.

"How do you know it didn't just bolt out of the village? I doubt I could catch it in the forest," Kiryu asked, rubbing his neck as he felt a migraine coming on. _I just knew he was going to ask for help._

"No, that filolial is picky about the food it eats! I know because the simple greens I've tried to give it haven't worked at all," the villager explained. "I know a couple places it might go for a meal. I'll go to one and you go to the other! Please, can you help me? I-I'll give you half of the profit I turn if I can sell it!"

Kiryu sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Well… I guess having some money would be nice…. Alright, I'll help you."

"Thank you! The first place I think the filolial might go is the butcher's shop just down the road. I'm gonna go to it and you can go to the vegetation field not far from there." the villager said, beginning to run without another word.

"Hey, wait! I…" Kiryu watched the man turn a corner, letting out a small breath and shaking his head. "How'd I get roped into hunting down a giant bird? He didn't even tell me how to catch it… Well, I guess it doesn't matter now. Better start looking…"

Kiryu rounded the corner to head toward the vegetation field, only to stop dead in his tracks. Just off to the side next to one of the houses, the black filolial popped its head out. It seemed to have hidden away from its owner and let him pass by, its eyes watching the road opposite of Kiryu as if making sure it wasn't spotted. It let out a sound like a laugh, almost, causing Kiryu to blink.

 _That thing… actually hid from its owner. Like it knew where he would go. How smart is this bird?_ Kiryu couldn't help but think, impressed by the quick wit of the filolial. He shook his head though, quickly reminding himself that he had a job to do. Kiryu still wasn't sure how to catch it but decided to wing it, walking up to the black filolial and crossing his arms.

"Hey, bird." the filolial's head snapped to Kiryu in alarm. Now that he got a closer look at its face, it was surprisingly cute. Though it was sending what clearly looked like a glare at Kiryu. "I'm not sure if you understand me or not, but I'm gonna need you to come with me."

The black filolial gave him what he thought was a hiss, fluffing up the feathers around its neck and spreading its somewhat small wings out like a threatened animal trying to make itself look bigger. Kiryu took a fighting stance, unsure what the filolial was planning to do. The two started to circle around one another slowly, the Dragon of Dojima narrowing his eyes.

But Kiryu suddenly realized his mistake as they kept circling. The black filolial suddenly spun on its heel and bolted down the dirt road.

"Damn it! Get back here!" Kiryu called out, immediately giving chase. He couldn't stop from widening his eyes when the bird looked back at him and stuck its tongue out at him. "Why you-wait!"

The filolial was obviously much faster than him. Kiryu could only curse at that, but thought of an idea. He made the bracers on his arms expand, a pink aura sparking to life around them. _Let's hope that speed boost actually helps._

The action had surprising results, making Kiryu pick up even greater speed as he pursued the filolial. He was even beginning to close the distance at first. _I actually might be able to catch him!_

But this sudden change in speed didn't go unnoticed by the large bird, its head looking back at Kiryu in shock.

"Wait!"

But seeing his newfound speed, the filolial suddenly seemed to change gears, immediately doubling its own speed to run ahead of him.

 _Shit, it was just playing with me at first. I won't be able to catch it at this rate!_ Kiryu cursed, eyes narrowing as he continued his pursuit despite the building gap between them. His eyes shifted around quickly, looking for some way to keep the filolial from escaping. Just off to the side, leaning against one of the nearby houses, Kiryu saw a wooden pot lid, his eyes lighting up once he did.

 _It's my best shot. I won't catch it otherwise!_ Kiryu quickly snagged the pot lid as he passed, switching the color of his gauntlets to blue for the boost in power. He came to a sudden stop, slamming his foot into the dirt and rearing back the pot lid.

"Let's… **go**!" With an overly dramatic spin, Kiryu sent the pot lid flying through the air like a frisbee. It sailed at shocking speeds, causing all the villagers to gawk as it passed by. And before it could react, the pot lid smacked into the back of the filolial's head, causing it to squawk before tumbling forward on the ground.

Seeing the result of his quick thinking, Kiryu couldn't stop a smile from forming on his lips. "Alright. It worked!" He cheered to himself with a fist pump.

A moment later, his smile suddenly fell as he realized what he had just done. "Hm… now that I think about it… that was a bit harsh…" Kiryu scratched his head awkwardly, looking around at the villagers who watched him with mixed emotions.

Coughing into his hand, Kiryu decided that the damage had been done and that it would just be better to collect the bird and go. He ran over to one of the villagers, asking for a rope that one gave him without question.

"Alright, bird. Sorry that things turned out this way, but your owner wants you back," Kiryu said, approaching the slowly recovering filolial with a rope in hand. But as he got closer, he saw the bird turn its head toward him, a strangely fierce glare in its gaze. It threw a kick Kiryu's way, the Dragon of Dojima just barely bringing his arms up and blocking the blow. He skidded against the ground, gritting his teeth as he held strong.

"What the hell… this thing's fast _and_ strong!" Kiryu muttered, taking a fighting stance again as he prepared for a fight this time. The black filolial climbed to its feet, letting out a low growl as it began to circle with Kiryu slowly. This time though, Kiryu could see the fight in its eyes. It wasn't going to run for it. It was planning to beat him before escaping.

"Look, I didn't mean to… well, I guess I did, but I uh… I'm sorry about throwing the pot lid at your head… But I need you to come with me," Kiryu said, still feeling guilty about hitting it and hoping to keep from having to fight the bird. The filolial seemed to understand his words, shaking its head furiously before stomping its foot down on the pot lid.

"Careful, hero! Filolials are stronger than you realize!" A concerned villager called out, a crowd having formed around the two.

Kiryu sighed, tightening his stance and digging his feet into the ground. "Alright… if that's how it has to be, then I guess I don't have a choice…" He dismissed the gauntlets on his arm, reducing them to arm bands. _It doesn't have any weapons, so I'll fight fair._

 **(Yakuza 6 OST: Through)**

"If you're going to try and force your way through, then I'll take you on. Now **come**!"

The black filolial let out a small screech before charging at Kiryu with terrifying speed. But Kiryu anticipated its move, narrowly dodging under a kick and bringing a fist around to punch into its gut. But it was Kiryu's turn to be surprised, the bird flapping its right wing and causing a small gust of wind that launched it over Kiryu's head, dodging the punch without a worry.

Gritting his teeth, Kiryu quickly spun around, running at the filolial with his arm raised. All the while, the bird returned the action by bringing its leg around, attempting to land a kick on Kiryu.

 **Rowdy Monster:**

 _ **Black Filolial**_

Kiryu and the black filolial's attacks both went through, knocking each other back with great force. Kiryu felt his ribs bruise up from the kick, realizing that the power of this bird was no joke. Part of him wondered if it was a good idea to dismiss his bracers, but ultimately still kept from using them. The damage he would do would likely hurt the bird more than he intended and end up breaking some bones in it.

 _I'll just have to beat it into submission._

The bird charged him again, this time with its beak pointed forward, likely aiming to stab him with it. Kiryu quickly evaded with a sidestep, bringing his fist around for a quick hook to its head. The bird croaked in annoyance as Kiryu landed a square hit on its head, causing it to stagger back somewhat. Kiryu quick-stepped forward, looking to capitalize on the chance.

But the filolial seemed to anticipate this, quickly hopping back and out of his range. It then returned the favor by stretching its leg forward, using its greater range to its advantage and kicking Kiryu in the chest.

"Shit…" Kiryu coughed as he was pushed back by the kick, again feeling the surprising power of the filolial. He quickly took a fighting stance after regaining his balance, not wanting to be taken off guard. This was well timed, as it was the filolial who tried to charge him now.

Kiryu dodged an overhead kick, anticipating its attack as he threw a punch. It used the same move as before that it had first dodged him with, flapping its wing and causing a small gust.

 _Not this time._

Kiryu had been prepared for this, his punch nothing but a faint. Just as the filolial prepared to land on the other side, Kiryu brought his leg up, delivering a straight kick to the center of its body. The filolial let out a surprised squawk, bouncing back and landing on the ground. Kiryu didn't pursue, this time being patient as he waited for his opponent to get to its feet.

The black filolial flapped its wings, creating a gust that helped it roll back onto its feet. It lowered its entire body close to the ground, like a lion getting ready to pounce. It seemed to be far more cautious this time around, not pouncing at Kiryu straight away. The bird instead did a short hop to one side then back, trying to throw Kiryu off with its sudden movement.

But Kiryu didn't take the bait, keeping his eyes fixed on the filolial and waiting for it to attack. His patience paid off, as the bird finally dived at him for a peck. Kiryu weaved his shoulder back, both dodging the hit and bringing down his fists together with his knee coming up from the bottom, delivering a crushing blow to both the chest and back of the filolial, knocking the air out of it before backing up again.

The filolial staggered where it stood, struggling to remain on its feet after the heavy blow it took. Kiryu narrowed his eyes, assessing whether or not the bird might try and attack him again. He didn't want to keep hurting the filolial if he could avoid it, but it seemed unwilling to stop.

Kiryu let the filolial catch its breath, hardening his brow as he watched it spread its wings and let out a high pitched snarl before finally charging at him again. Kiryu could see the desperation in its actions, now coming at him with all its might. And so, Kiryu would return the favor in hopes of settling this once and for all.

Just as the bird jumped through the air, Kiryu bent his knees slowly. As the filolial lashed out with a kick, the Dragon of Dojima countered immediately with a Tiger Drop punch. The black filolial choked out in pain as it felt the great force of his fist, being sent flying back before it could try anything else. It fell on its back, letting out a weak groan, unable to get back on its feet.

Kiryu relaxed his stance, letting out tired breath. "You're pretty strong, bird. You'd have given those bandits a run for their money."

The small crowd that had gathered started to applaud Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima blinking as he realized they were still there. Most of the fights he had on the street were spectated, but the crowd normally dispersed the moment it was over. Surprisingly, he was receiving praise and admiration for his display.

"Ah, good job hero!" He heard a familiar voice, looking back to see the filolial's owner approach him with a big smile. "I knew counting on you was the right thing to do!"

"Yeah, well… he certainly didn't make it easy," Kiryu's eyes trailed back to the filolial, which slowly sat back on the ground with its head lowered in defeat. A view that Kiryu couldn't help but pity.

"Yeah, I saw. Sorry to have caused you so much trouble after everything you've done for us," The villager sighed, walking over to the filolial and putting a collar on it. "I'm gonna have this monster sold soon as possible. Once I get the profits for it, I'll be sure to give you your half."

"... Where are you going to sell it?" Kiryu asked, his gaze still leveled at the filolial.

"Probably a slave trader. This guy's too much trouble for any regular joe," the villager said, though the bird visibly winced at the word.

"Slave trader?" Kiryu asked, raising a brow.

"Yeah. Monsters like this who are too much trouble for manual labor usually become slave monsters for combat or other types of work. It's usually much harder than what it would be doing like pulling carts or being used for riding, but it's not giving me much choice, is it?" The owner said, shooting the bird a glare.

 _I don't know the extent of that, but it doesn't sound good either way…_ Kiryu thought to himself, moving to stand in front of the bird. The filolial looked up at him, its large, beady eyes staring back at him sadly. A moment passed, and then another moment. And then, Kiryu finally decided to take a chance.

"Hey… do you think I could buy this guy off you?"

The filolial and the villager both blinked, looking at Kiryu in confusion.

"Y-You… want to buy this guy?! After all that trouble?!" The villager asked in shock.

"Yeah. I feel like it would be a waste to just sell him off. He's strong, surprisingly so. I feel like it'd be better to have him around in town than send him off to god knows where," Kiryu explained, kneeling in front of the filolial. "Of course, that's only if it's willing to behave. I want you to help me fight in the future. But if all you're going to do is cause trouble, then I won't take you. Understand?"

The filolial stared at Kiryu, its eyes hiding little of its awe. It seemed to understand every word, slowly giving him a nod of acceptance. Kiryu smirked, looking at the villager.

"Well, looks like he agrees. So, would you be willing to sell it to me?" Kiryu askeed, standing back up.

The villager rubbed the back of his head, looking down at the filolial before looking back up at Kiryu. "I have to admit, hero, you're quite the strange one," he laughed. "Well, how can I say no? In fact, consider it a gift from me for saving the town. Go ahead, take him."

"Are you sure? You did say they're pretty valuable," Kiryu asked, raising a brow at the villager.

"It's completely fine. It's not like I paid a lot for an egg, they're quite cheap," he said, giving a laugh as he handed the leash of the filolial over to Kiryu. "He's all yours."

"I appreciate it. Well, bird. Looks like you're mine now. Don't think it'll be easy though, because I've got a job in mind for you," Kiryu said, looking down at the filolial. It didn't seem to mind though, slowly standing up and giving him a nod in understanding. "By the way, does it have a name?"

"Hm? Oh, no. I hadn't yet given it a name. I wanted to train it up, first," the former owner explained.

"I see. I guess I'll name you, then…" Kiryu held his chin in thought, his eyes focused on the filolial for a moment. "Hm… I used to own a chicken a long time ago… I think I'll name you in his memory. From now on, your name is… Nugget."

The black filolial tilted its head to the side in disbelief, its brow raising in a way that said 'seriously?'

"N-Nugget? Th-That's a little…"

"What? What's wrong with that name?" Kiryu asked, looking between the two in confusion. The filolial and the former owner looked at one another and let out defeated sighs, unsure how to answer that. The black filolial just gave a small nod in acceptance.

"Well, looks like he doesn't mind at least." the villager said before turning around. "I wish you luck, hero! This guy might be more trouble than you think!"

"We'll see," Kiryu chuckled before looking back at the villager. "Oh, but you and the others can stop calling me 'hero'. Feel free to call me Kiryu. Kazuma Kiryu."

"Heh, I'll be sure to let the others know."

* * *

Julius was hunched over an old arcane book, looking through its script for any sort of information that might help in identifying the bracers that Kiryu possessed. _My source of information is severely limited without access to the royal library. Though even with that, others had given up on its origin themselves._

He let out a short breath, closing the book and massaging his eyes tiredly as he leaned back in his chair. "It might be hopeless to help him find out more, but… I suppose I can help him learn about it in other ways…"

Julius then heard the sound of the front door creaking open, pulling his hand away from his face to see Kiryu opening the door. "Ah, Kiryu! I've been wondering where you were. Did you have a good walk?"

"Yeah, I suppose… though a lot kind of happened today…" Kiryu said slowly, massaging his neck awkwardly.

"Is something wrong? You look a bit stressed," Julius asked, raising a brow as he stood up.

"Well, you see… do you think you've got room in the back for a… filolial?" Kiryu asked.

"Huh? A filolial? Why do you-" Julius blinked when he saw a black feathered filolial head pop in the door, staring at him curiously. "Uh…"

"Yeah, I sort of… ended up with one a while ago," Kiryu cleared his throat, looking at the filolial. "Nugget, this is Julius Harken. He's letting me stay here with him and Melonie, so treat them well. Got it?"

The bird gave a small nod of acceptance.

"I… well…" Julius mumbled, walking over to meet with Kiryu and the filolial. "It really does seem that you had a lot happen to you today."

"Yeah. Sorry about this…"

 **To be continued…**

 **Thanks goes to my newly made beta, chidoriprime, for their help in cleaning this up :)**

 **I have to say, I was very happy with the reception this story got in the first chapter! I guess I really am striking while the coals are hot. Something I'm happy to do, as I've had this idea in mind for some time now :)**

 **Well, as you all can see, Kiryu's trying to fit into his new home. But of course, crazy stuff can't help but happen along the way of doing that. And now he's suddenly the owner of a cool new filolial. Of course, this new relationship started with a fight, as do half of his relationships XD**

 **But anyway, sorry if you were looking for some more plot progression this chapter. That'll be soon to come, but I wanted to establish Kiryu in this world and work his way through it the way that we all know Yakuza for doing: big moments of seriousness with an awesome side of silly substories lol Plus I'm sure you all saw the little nuggets of potential plot points in the future. So look forward to that as well!**

 **Anyway, that's it for this chapter, feel free to leave a follow, a favorite and a review if you'd be so kind. Thanks!**


	3. Training and Other Things

**Disclaimer: I own neither the Yakuza series or Rising of the Shield Hero**

Training and Other Things

Kiryu stood at the base of the mountain that loomed over Lute Village, Nugget standing at his side. He had spoken with Harken about what monsters had loomed within, how dangerous they were and whether it was okay for someone his 'level' to fight them. Thankfully, the mage suggested that they were well within Kiryu's level of strength as well as Nugget's, whom of which Julius helped assign to Kiryu's 'party' which would help them both level up from what enemies they took down. Kiryu didn't really get it, but figured that the mage knew better than he did when it came to that stuff.

"Alright, Nugget. Let's go," Kiryu said, walking toward the mouth of the cave. In response, the bird quickly tugged on his jacket, making him turn around to look at the filolial as it let out a loud chirp in disapproval, its eyes looking concerned.

"Afraid?" Kiryu asked, raising a brow. Nugget seemed to take offense to that, giving him a proud glare. "I figured you weren't. Look, I told you I had a job in mind for you when I took you in. That job is going to be helping me protect the village when the time comes. I don't know how bad things are going to be when the Wave hits, but I'd rather get my level up for when it hits. You'll need it, too."

The filolial looked to the side, looking unsure and somewhat annoyed. Kiryu sighed, turning back to face the mountain. "You may not like the people in that village, but I do. I owe them for helping me get on my feet after coming to this world. If you want to run off, fine. Go ahead. I'm going in."

Kiryu turned back around, Nugget looking at him in wonder. He didn't say another word, heading into the cave. Nugget spared a look at the forest that sat just outside of the cave, his freedom easily achievable now. But the filolial hesitated, feeling the words of its current master stab it in the gut. With a hesitant squak, the bird turned back around and followed Kiryu inside.

When he heard the bird's feet close behind him, Kiryu couldn't stop a small smile from spreading across his lips.

As they explored deeper, Kiryu carrying a torch in one hand, they found the cave began to illuminate himself. Once they reached a wider space, Kiryu realized that he didn't even need the torch. All around him and Nugget were bright glowing crystals and a stream not too far off that seemed to glow on its own.

"This place really is beautiful…" Kiryu muttered, eyes scanning the area. "By the way, I'm gonna harvest some of the crystals. It wouldn't hurt to get some more money. I can't just rely on Harken and Melonie for money, after all."

He walked up to a small concentration of crystals, pulling out the small pick axe that Harken had given him before leaving. "Watch out for monsters and let me know when they come."

Nugget gave a short nod of its head in understanding, turning around and keeping an eye on the cave. Kiryu then began to chip away at the crystals, putting what he could in a small pouch. _I might be able to make enough money just doing this if they sell for enough. Still… maybe I should get a job?_

"Skree!"

Kiryu's head spun back, watching as Nugget lowered its head and spread its wings at its side. Some ways ahead of him, Kiryu watched as four large beasts started to stalk around. Kiryu raised a brow as he rose to his feet, noting that they were all some form of black dog with two heads. They weren't quite as big as Nugget, but they still looked ferocious.

"They found us pretty quick. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, though," Kiryu said, walking up next to Nugget and sparing a look at the bird. "Are you ready?"

Nugget only let out a small throaty growl, eyes narrowed at the dogs.

 **(Yakuza 0 OST: Force Addiction)**

"Good." Kiryu assumed a fighting stance, his gauntlets igniting with blue flame. "Let's go!"

 **Two-Headed Dogs**

The first of the dogs snarled before leaping forth, aiming for Nugget first. Kiryu didn't need to make a move, his giant bird companion quick to throw a flying kick at the dog's midsection, knocking it to the side. Another lunged for Nugget, only for Kiryu to step forward and throw a powerful hook into its right head. The other head might have tried to bite him, but Kiryu hit it with enough force to make its entire body crash directly into the ground.

The other two became more agitated, now rushing at Kiryu and Nugget. The Dragon of Dojima narrowed his eyes, quickly reaching forward and wrapping his arms around both necks of the dog he had just punched into the ground. With a quick heave up, Kiryu let out a short growl as he spun the dog around and smashing it directly into one of the other dogs, letting it fly out of his arms and send them both tumbling back.

Kiryu stepped forward to finish the dogs off, but hesitated when he heard Nugget let out a pained screech. His head snapped to the right, watching as the other two headed dog had used one of its heads to bite down on Nugget's left wing, the other being pecked at by the bird as it tried to force them off his body.

Kiryu quickly rushed over, jumping in the air and delivering a powerful drop kick directly into the dog's back. It immediately buckled from the impact, releasing Nugget's wing and flying forward. Kiryu quickly recovered to his feet, watching as the next dog attempted to rush him in his momentary exposure. But Nugget put a stop to that, delivering a swift kick to its stomach and making it fold and crumble on the ground.

Kiryu smirked, walking up next to Nugget and patting its feathery back. "Good job. Looks like we won." He said, watching as the two garnered EXP from the fight. Nugget's level shot up while Kiryu's only steadily grew.

The dogs began to whimper and limp away. One of them lagged behind the others, the one which Nugget had finished off last. Before Kiryu knew it, the bird stepped on the dog, making it cry out as drool started to drip down Nugget's beak.

"H-Hey, what are you doing?!" Kiryu asked, rushing up next to the bird and grabbing its shoulder. The bird tilted its head back at him in wonder as if it were the most obvious thing. Kiryu could see the hunger in its expression, and the way that it looked back and forth between Kiryu and the dog.

"... Oh. Oh! No! You're not eating the dog! That's… That's just wrong. Let it go," Kiryu ordered, causing Nugget to narrow its eyes in reluctance, looking back down at the quaking beast under its talons longingly. "Nugget, don't you do it. If you're that hungry, I'll get you something to eat at the village."

Nugget let out a croak that sounded like a huff, taking its foot off the dog. The beast quickly scurried to its feet before limping away as fast as possible, Kiryu and Nugget watching it leave. "I knew you were a big eater, but… look, Nugget. That was… wrong on a few levels. Try not to eat any of our opponents when we win, alright? I'll feed you plenty when we finish here."

Nugget rolled its eyes before giving a nod in acceptance. Kiryu couldn't stop a sigh from escaping his mouth.

"That wasn't very convincing, but… I guess it'll do. Come on, let's see what other monsters are roaming around here."

* * *

Kiryu hauled a full sack of crystals over his shoulder. There was more than enough gems in the mountain for him to take without putting a dent in the sheer amount of crystals that sat in it. He could mine more later, if he so pleased. He made sure to stop on his way home and feed Nugget, the filolial taking a rest in the back of the modest house with a bowl to dig into.

Kiryu slowly opened the door, not wanting to disturb his hosts with too much noise.

"I already said **no, Julius!** "

Though from the volume of Melonie's voice, Kiryu doubted that he would be disturbing them at the moment.

"B-But please, Melonie! Working at the tavern…. It's… well-" He could hear Harken's voice shake, the mage apparently losing the argument.

"I **like** my job, Julius! I'm not going to quit now of all times because it makes you uncomfortable!"

"B-But the men that go through there and say such things…"

"It's nothing I can't handle! We're in a matriarchy, Julius. That should be easy enough to understand!"

… _Maybe this isn't a good time to walk in…_ Kiryu thought to himself, half tempted to retreat back out the door before he was spotted.

"Ah, Kiryu! Good to see you!" Kiryu flinched ever so slightly, his eyes trailing up as he heard Melonie's overly sweet voice greeting him. "Don't be afraid! Julius and I were just having a calm, relaxing **discussion**."

"H-Hey, Kiryu…" Julius mumbled his greeting awkwardly.

"H-Hey… I can come back later…" Kiryu said, trying to escape.

"Oh, you don't have to worry! I'm about to head off to _work_ for the night, anyway! Feel free to stay!" Melonie gave a thin smile, stomping her feet past Julius and gathering some of her effects from their dining room table. Kiryu and Julius watched as Melonie roughly snatched her things and bumped chairs out of her way without a care, even knocking one down. She smiled as she passed Kiryu before sending a small glare back at the mage before slamming the door behind her, causing both men to flinch. An awkward silence soon followed, with Julius rubbing his arm while Kiryu adjusted the sack over his shoulder.

"Uh… I got a lot of those crystals you told me about…"

"Oh, good… good…"

Another short silence. Kiryu coughed into his hand before moving to the table and setting the bag down. Harken moved to the living room, taking a seat by the fire and letting out a deep sigh.

 _Well that was… weird._ Kiryu spared a short look back at the mage, feeling some pity for him and releasing a sigh. _Maybe I should talk to him about it. Might be good for him to vent. Doesn't hurt to ask._

"Hey."

Harken looked up at Kiryu slowly, his eyes tired. "Y-Yes? O-Oh, my apologies you had to see that, it was… it was embarrassing."

"No kidding," Kiryu said, his bluntness making Julius cringe. "Sorry… if uh… you want to talk about it…"

"I… I don't know, Kiryu… it might be best if I just… sit here," Julius grumbled, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Come on. Why don't we grab a drink. It might help you loosen up a bit," Kiryu offered, crossing his arms as he leaned against the table. "You said there were two taverns in town, right? We could go to the one at the inn."

Julius pulled his hand away from his face, looking up at Kiryu with mixed feelings. Finally, he sighed and gave a small, reluctant smile.

"A drink sounds good right about now… maybe one won't hurt."

* * *

"H-How am I to blame, Kiryu?! You tell me! W-Why is it my fault that I'm concerned?!"

Kiryu felt a bead of sweat roll down his cheek. When he offered to take Julius out, he imagined something more along the lines of a quiet night with a mug or two of beer, perhaps even some whiskey. What he instead got was Julius downing several mugs of wine in under half an hour, quickly getting blitzed before Kiryu could stop him.

"I'd… like to help you figure that out, Harken, but you haven't told me anything about what happened yet," Kiryu pointed out. He had thought it was best to get a couple drinks in before getting into deeper conversation. Kiryu now realized his mistake.

"K-Kiryu, wer-weren't you listening?! Sh-She's working at a-a tavern of all things! A-And I disapprove! I-Is that so wrong?" The mage slurred out.

"Ah, I see. What's your problem with it?" Kiryu asked, glad that they were finally getting somewhere.

"W-What do you mean?! T-That's hardly a… a respectable job for… for a lady of her caliber!"

"Even if that's true, she said she likes doing it," Kiryu said, taking a sip of whiskey before continuing. "If it makes her happy, let her do what she wants."

"B-But Ki-Kiryu! You-you don't get it! She… we… she just shouldn't!" Julius whined, slapping his hand on the bar.

"There's nothing wrong with serving at a bar. It's not glamorous, but it's not something terrible," Kiryu continued, leaning forward on the bar and narrowing his eyes at Julius. "I have a feeling that this is about something else."

Julius puckered his lips, his hands hovering around as he tried to find the bar and lean over it, almost laying his chest on it as he released a long, exaggerated sigh. "O-Okay, look… look… _maybe_ , just maybe, there's… s-something else to this…"

" _I thought I heard the old man say~ leave her Johnny, leave her~!"_

Kiryu and Harken looked up as laughter and cheers sounded through the tavern. Standing on some makeshift stage at the head of the room was some villager, his face red as a tomato as he slurred out a song.

"O-Oh, Kiryu, this song is great! I love this song!" Julius sloppily clapped, looking at the Dragon of Dojima in excitement.

"Oi, Harken! Focus! What's really-"

" _Tomorrow you will get your pay~ it's time for us to leave her~! Leave her Johnny, leave her~!"_

The tavern boomed with song, drowning out Kiryu's words and causing him to sigh. Looking back up at the drunk singing on stage, Kiryu could admit that normally he'd be happy to see something like that. It reminded him a bit of karaoke, even if it didn't have a mic or music playing with it. But his current goal was to get Julius to spill the beans on his problems. It was hard to do that with the singing that distracted his friend from speaking.

"Hey, Harken-san. Let's get out of here," Kiryu said, gently grabbing his shoulder.

"Wha~t, why?! We-we're getting to the best part!" Harken whined, pouting up at Kiryu in disappointment.

"We're trying to talk, here. We can't do that if you keep getting distracted."

"I know~, but… but…" Harken's mouth opened like a fish, as if an idea suddenly came to him. "Oh! Oh! Kir-Kiryu, you should-should sing!"

"Me? But…You know I don't know any songs from this world," Kiryu pointed out, looking up at the stage in reluctance.

"Oh, that doesn't matter~! So long as-long as you're having fun… that's what matters! J-Just… sing what comes naturally! Everyone will-*burp*-will love it!" Julius pushed eagerly.

Kiryu looked back up at the stage as the singer began to finish, earning laughs and cheers again throughout the tavern. With a sigh, Kiryu took one last sip of his drink before slamming the cup back down on the bar.

"Alright, but we're finishing our talk when I'm done."

"That's the spirit! Do-do your best, Kiryu!" Julius clapped again, grinning dumbly as he watched Kiryu stand from his seat. He walked up to the stage, each of the patrons greeting him with shock and glee as they noticed it was their hero walking past. Kiryu stepped onto the small stage, turning around to face the small crowd.

"You're gonna sing for us, hero?!"

"Do your best!"

"Sing us somethin' great!"

"Hey, everyone…" Kiryu coughed into his hand, the crowd returning his greeting with cheers. "Look, I… I only know a song from… my land. I hope you don't mind."

The crowd gave support to his answer, ushering for him to start and waiting eagerly. Kiryu was at least relieved to hear that much. With a small sigh, he nodded and finally began. _No ambience to help me out, but I can make this work._ Kiryu stomped his foot, recalling the beat of the song to the best of his memory and clapping his hands together, making a rhythm for the others to follow.

 **(Yakuza 0 Ishin OST: Iji Sakura)**

" _A man with~ neither money or social status…_

 _Does nothing but accept~ it as his destiny…_

 _And work and die…"_

Silence seemed to fall throughout the tavern, faces staring in awe and disbelief as Kiryu's silky smooth voice began to win them over, Harken included. Some even began to clap to the beat made by Kiryu, making the song intensify.

" _Through this ugly, fleeting world… he stubbornly lives~_

 _His body drips with sweat, yet he keeps working…_

 _Without getting a short lived but precious meal~!_

 _Yes, be obstinate, never give in, and let them bloom~!_

 _The burning, bloodstained petals~!"_

The entire tavern filled with praise, the patrons cheering him on as they tried to get into the song.

" _Those flowers growing from the muddy water…_

 _Are the cherry blossoms of his persistence~!"_

Kiryu struck one final pose as the song came to an end. The crowd answered his finale with applause, putting a smile on Kiryu's face as he watched the entire tavern stand to its feet. He slowly stepped off the stage, receiving shoulder pats and praise from those he passed by, some asking him where the song came from. But as much as Kiryu wouldn't mind giving his audience some time, his focus went back to Julius. The drunken mage was still clapping for him.

"Bravo, Kiryu! Truly, I wasn't… I certainly wasn't expecting such a… beautiful singing voice! You shou-should hear Melonie, she's…. She's a bit tone deaf," Harken laughed as Kiryu took a seat next to him. "D-Don't tell her that, she'll be pretty upset…"

"I'll take your word for it," Kiryu chuckled, leaning forward on the bar. "Now, Harken. Tell me why you really don't want Melonie to work at the tavern."

Harken's smile fell, a reluctant, drunken frown spreading across his lips. "Well… maybe I should sing now…"

"Harken."

"A-Alright, fine!" Harken groaned, throwing his head back. "I just… I don't like… how s-some of those customers of hers… talk to her. They get a little too friendly…"

Kiryu raised a brow. "Oh. So you're jealous?"

"No! No I'm not! Maybe! Yes…" Harken went from loud to a reluctant grumble and exhaling. "Look… You know that we're… we're not actually… married, right?"

"I did notice her drop that info a few times…" Kiryu admitted, looking to the side. "She was making some obvious hints, if you didn't realize…"

"N-No, no… I knew…" Harken sunk further into his stool. "I just… I feel like… she deserves so much better… better than that tavern. Better than some washed out mage running a potions shop in this little village… she deserves the world, Kiryu."

Kiryu nodded in understanding, looking down at his now filled goblet of whiskey. "I see. You think you're not good enough."

"Of course not, Kiryu. If-If it wasn't for her, I would have… I would have sold those gauntlets you're wearing. I'd probably be selling high end potions on the black market, even. My name will forever be marked by the _king_ in Melromac. I'm not… I'm no good." Harken said, his voice trailing off as he sunk into his arms on the bar.

Kiryu looked down at Harken's pathetic display, feeling sympathy for the man who took him in. He took a sip from his glass and released a breath.

"Maybe… Maybe all those things are true," Kiryu said, his words making Harken sink lower into his arms. "But I don't believe that you're no good. And neither does Melonie, obviously." Harken's head slowly raised, his eyes peering at Kiryu. "She saw the good man that you were rather than what that king marked you as. She made sure you didn't sink so low as all that. And because of that, you were able to summon me and save your village. I'd say that makes you a lot more than just a no good mage."

"Kiryu…"

"Do yourself a favor and propose to Melonie as soon as possible," Kiryu continued, his eyes drifting back to his cup. "You both love each other, it's obvious. She deserves better than to keep waiting for you to stop pitying yourself. So it's time for you to man up and do it already."

Harken looked at his hands, absorbing Kiryu's advice. The Dragon of Dojima gave him one small look before his eyes drifted back to his cup.

"And… take it from me. Waiting won't do you any favors," Kiryu said, his voice becoming quiet. "Because one day… something could happen, and… you lose that chance forever."

Harken's gaze moved back to Kiryu, the mage seeing the sullen expression on the former yakuza's face. A face that conveyed the personal experience in his words.

".. You went through quite a bit before coming here, huh?"

"... Yeah."

A silence fell between them. Harken inhaled a deep breath before nodding. "Okay. I'll… I'll do it."

Kiryu looked at him and smiled. "Good."

"Heh. Hey, how-how's about one last drink? For some courage to act?" Harken asked, holding up his goblet to Kiryu.

"Well… alright. One last drink," Kiryu held up his cup and clanked it against Harken's. "Cheers."

Harken tossed his head back and inhaled the wine, letting out a satisfied breath before smacking his lips. Kiryu set his cup down, looking at the mage next to him and opening his mouth to speak.

Only to watch as Harken fell out of his stool, flopping on his back and blacking out. Kiryu watched him for a moment in disbelief before letting out a sigh.

"I should have just taken him home…"

* * *

Kiryu woke feeling well rested. It had been some time since he drank alcohol, and he had the perfect amount the night before. He stood from his bed, rolling his shoulders and frame to wake his body up. Despite his good night of sleep, Kiryu needed to check on Harken. He had blacked out the previous night, and he needed to make sure that the mage remembered their conversation.

 _I just hope Melonie wasn't too upset when she saw him once she got home._

Kiryu pushed the door open slowly, entering the hall and moving toward the living room where Kiryu had left Harken on the couch.

"You… you mean it, Julius?"

Kiryu halted, hearing Melonie's voice filled with emotion.

"I do… I've been pathetic this whole time, and… you deserve better than that. That's why I won't be so pathetic anymore. I want to marry you, Melonie."

Kiryu smiled, relief filling him as he heard those words leave Harken's mouth.

"Oh, Julius!" Kiryu heard Melonie laugh and likely embrace him. "Yes! You know it's a yes!"

"G-Great! I… I'm so happy! I love you, Melonie."

"I love you too, Julius."

Kiryu turned around, feeling like his mission was accomplished. He could go through the back and check on Nugget, instead.

"Ah, Kiryu!" Kiryu raised a brow, turning around to see Harken and Melonie smiling at him, in each others arms. "I'm guessing you heard the news?"

"Heh, yeah. Congratulations, you two," Kiryu smirked at them.

"It was in no small part thanks to you, Kiryu. I wouldn't have gotten the courage to finally ask without you," Julius admitted, looking down at Melonie with a bright smile.

"Thanks for helping this stupid mage along," Melonie teased with a giggle, snuggling into his chest.

"I didn't do much. I just gave him the little push he needed," Kiryu said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh, don't be so modest. In fact, as thanks, I do hope you'll be my best man, Kiryu." Harken said, causing Kiryu to raise a brow.

"That seems like a big responsibility, but… sure. I don't mind."

"Great! All that's left is the planning and getting some rings!" Harken said, looking at Melonie again. "Sorry I didn't have a ring for you, but I promise I'll get one soon."

"You better. Otherwise, the guys at the tavern will never stop chatting me up," Melonie smirked, causing Harken to flinch.

"W-Wait, you knew?!"

"Of course I did, idiot! I just wanted you to admit it instead of insulting my job! Which I'm keeping, by the way."

"I-I know… I won't make you quit. Not like I could," Harken laughed sheepishly, rubbing his head. "I'll make sure to get that ring soon enough."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Kiryu said, walking past them and picking up the sack of crystals he farmed. "I've got plenty to sell."

"K-Kiryu! I-I hadn't realized how much you had gathered!" Harken blanched, he and Melonie looking at the bag in awe. "A-Are you sure?"

"Consider it my wedding gift."

"Oh, Kiryu!" Melonie exclaimed, running up and hugging him tightly. "You're the best savior-slash-house guest we could ever have!"

"Heh. It's the least I could do." Kiryu pat her back.

"We'll never forget this, Kiryu!" Harken said, joining the hug in a show of emotion. Kiryu was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable with two people hugging him, but decided to keep quiet.

 _All's well that ends well, I guess._

* * *

It had been a month since Kiryu's arrival in this world. He had spent the time either training, working with Nugget as a cart driver, and a few other things. He had integrated into Lute Village easily enough, appreciating the kindness of the villagers and his hosts. Speaking of his hosts, he found himself doing a lot of running around in preparation for their marriage, as Harken and Melonie planned to wed before the next Wave hit. As thanks, Julius was now treating him to a drink after a long day of errands.

"Did you lot hear? The Heroes are finally going to be summoned!"

Kiryu raised a brow when he heard one of the other patrons in the bar crowd.

"So it finally begins, eh? About time," Harken sighed, his eyes looking tired. "I just hope the Shield Hero doesn't experience too many problems."

"You did mention something about the Shield Hero before. You think he'll run into trouble?" Kiryu asked, glancing at his friend curiously.

"Considering I was framed and exiled for merely trying to support the Shield Hero's arrival? I have little doubt he will," Julius explained, his hands wringing around his mug. "The king's age has deteriorated his mind. He'd take the word of that corrupt Church of Three Heroes over his own counsel. I just hope that snake of a daughter doesn't add fuel to the fire."

"Is she that bad?"

"She's a spoiled brat that, left to her own devices, would ruin the entire kingdom should she have been chosen to succeed the throne. Thankfully, the queen could see that for herself. Still, there's plenty of damage that she can do on her own since she's still a princess," Julius continued, shaking his head. "If only the queen had stayed… but then again, had she, I doubt I would have met you. In which case, perhaps it's not so bad." Harken gave Kiryu a small smile.

Kiryu smirked back. "I guess some good things come with the bad."

"Yes, I suppose they do. Still… that Shield Hero may be in for a troubling time," Harken said, his gaze falling back to the mug in front of him. "But there's nothing I can do for him. And considering what trouble I got in, I doubt that it'll be any different for any that might try to help him as well. His future in this world will be bleak in the beginning, at the very least."

Kiryu's gaze fell away from him, unsure what to say. It seemed to be something that weighed on Harken, more than he had initially realized. Though this was one thing Kiryu couldn't really help with. _Hopefully things for the Shield Hero don't end up too bad._

The doors to the tavern swung open, Kiryu and Harken looking back to see several knights enter. Kiryu turned fully to look at them when he noticed the young knight from before accompanying the troupe.

"That's him, sir! That's the hero who saved Lute from the bandits!" The young man called out in excitement, drawing the leading knight's attention to Kiryu. He was an older gentleman that Kiryu had never seen before, with a cleft chin and a thin handlebar mustache.

He looked down at Kiryu with a doubtful gaze. Scoffing, the man approached with several of his guard close behind. "So you're the man who saved this village, Kazuma Kiryu?"

"Who's asking?" Kiryu said, eyes narrowing at the knight. The tone of voice and expression that this man was addressing him with was enough to make Kiryu dislike him already.

"A royal knight captain of the Melromarc Kingdom! One who would be addressed with respect!" The man huffed, in no way helping his case when it came to making Kiryu like him.

"And what does a royal knight want?" Kiryu asked again, having no plans to show any sort of respect for his title. The knight's eye twitched in irritation, but he seemed to remember his station, coughing into his hand and snapping his fingers. The young knight, who now looked rather uncomfortable, quickly brought a scroll for him to take, the squad captain snatching it away before unfurling it.

"'You have been hereby invited by the King of Melromarc to the Capital. We are in search for adventurers and warriors alike who will join the parties of one the Three Heroes. The Hero of the Sword, the Hero of the Spear, and the Hero of the Bow. If you would so wish to help our Heroes save the kingdom, the King would-'"

"Wait a second," Kiryu interrupted him, causing Harken to look at him in alarm. "There are supposed to be Four Heroes, right? What about the Shield Hero?"

The knight only glared at him, looking back at the scroll. "'-would compensate you for your efforts as well as bring renown and glory to any willing and-'"

"I asked you a question." Kiryu demanded, his eyes narrowing.

"Kiryu, stop!" Harken whispered to him, grabbing his shoulder.

"The Shield Hero is not your concern!" The knight finally barked, growing impatient. "The summons is for the other Heroes. If you know what's best for you, you'll hold thy tongue!"

Kiryu had half a mind to stand up and make the man bite his own tongue. But the hand on his shoulder kept him at bay, not wanting to inconvenience Harken. Harken brought him here with the gauntlets, which he stole from the palace. If he took on too much attention, he might get a light shined on his friend by accident.

So Kiryu held back, reluctantly obeying his friend's wishes. "Fine. What else is there?"

The knight smirked triumphantly, something that tempted Kiryu even further into busting up his face. "I'm sure you got the gist of our summons. The kingdom has heard of your… 'deeds' here in Lute and decided to offer you a chance to work with the Heroes. What is your answer?"

"I'll pass," Kiryu answered immediately, causing the knight's eyes to widen. "I don't have any interest in joining their parties. I've got my own home to protect."

The young knight looked disappointed while the squad captain only huffed. "If you wish to let true glory pass you by, then by all means. You're only one among many who have been offered this chance, so don't think it makes you special."

"Then go and bother them. I'm trying to enjoy my drink." Kiryu turned back around to the bar, deciding that he had given the man enough of his time as it was.

The royal knight captain growled as he grit his teeth, but the young knight from Lute was quick to move to his side. "S-Sir! We still have others to summon today! We should be on our way…"

The squad captain glared at the young knight, but only huffed. "Fine. Let's not waste anymore of our time here, then. Move out, men!"

The knights soon left the bar, the young knight looking back at Kiryu in reluctance but soon following his orders. A quiet lingered in the tavern until the knights were completely gone. Once they were out of sight, voices bustled again.

Julius let out a breath of relief, looking at Kiryu. "You certainly don't mind pushing buttons."

"That knight was pissing me off. It's too bad, because that's a good kid in his squad," Kiryu said, looking down at his cup as he tilted the contents back and forth. "Hopefully he's not going to be held back by a guy like that."

"Yeah. I certainly wouldn't want him to be in charge of protecting Lute," Harken chuckled, earning a small smirk from Kiryu. "Though I have to say… I was wondering why you've been spending so much time training."

"Huh?" Kiryu looked back at him in wonder.

"You're planning to help defend against the Wave, right? You and Nugget," Julius pointed out, causing Kiryu to shrug.

"It seems like the obvious thing to do. This place is my home now, after all."

"No one here would disagree with you on that," Julius nodded, looking down at his cup again. "But if we're lucky… the Wave won't be focused on Lute."

"What do you mean 'focused'?" Kiryu asked, looking back at the mage in question.

"Well, while the Wave does attack across the country, it will usually focus upon a single area the most heavily. Sure, there might be a few beasts and monsters that drop by the village, but if the focus isn't near us, it's something that even a few peasants like us could handle."

Kiryu raised a brow, having several conflicting feelings about that idea. "I… sort of wish I knew that beforehand… but then again, it's better to be prepared, I suppose."

"Heh, my apologies. I just hadn't given it much thought lately. Especially with my wedding plans going on, you know?" Julius admitted, rubbing his head sheepishly.

"Fair enough. Well, we're both preparing for the worst in this case," Kiryu smirked, holding his cup out to Harken. "I'd say we're both ready for what may or may not come next."

"That we are," Harken laughed, toasting with Kiryu. The two took short swigs of their drinks, letting out a breath as they finished. "So, what kind of different bracers have you gathered?"

Kiryu paused, looking at Julius in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you remember, Kiryu? When we were going over your bracer's powers, I told you that you could add different materials to them that would expand your inventory and variety."

Kiryu stared at Julius for a long moment, his eyes and expression unreadable. He turned back to his drink slowly and looked at the contents. "I uh… might have forgotten about that."

Julius's lips pursed, looking at Kiryu with a mixture of disbelief and disappointment.

"Hey, cut me some slack. I had a lot to learn that day," Kiryu said, rubbing his neck sheepishly as he thought about his slip up.

"W-Well, I suppose that we did only cover it briefly…" Julius sighed, stroking his chin before smiling. "I know. Let's get out of here and gather a few things. We'll get started on opening up more branches for your bracers!"

"Alright. Thanks."

* * *

"Alright… that should do when it comes to materials, at least for now." Julius said, dropping a small stack of sticks in front of Kiryu. The two had returned to their home, with Nugget now standing next to the Dragon of Dojima as they watched the mage work. In front of them was the pile of sticks, a pile of rocks, and a small fire that the mage threw together with a spell.

"We're going to put all this… into the bracers?" Kiryu asked, quirking a brow.

"That's right. It should be a fairly simple task. Heck, if it works the way we want it to, we likely won't need all of it. I just grabbed extras in case there was a numbered requirement. We'll start with something simple. Here," Julius picked up one of the twigs, handing it to Kiryu. "Just put the twig to the gem on your gauntlets and think of absorbing it. Simple enough."

Kiryu shared a small look with Nugget, the filolial shrugging its feathery shoulders. Kiryu didn't say another word, taking the twig and holding it over the gem on his left arm. As Julius asked, he merely gave a thought to absorbing the twigs. Not a moment later, the gem glowed red. Kiryu's eyes widened, the former yakuza quickly dropping the twig into the gem.

The menu in Kiryu's eye immediately popped up, making him recoil in in shock. His fighting styles menu was shown, and a small branch was added to the Rush Style side. "I-It worked…"

"Great! What did you gain from it?" Julius asked excitedly. Kiryu tapped on it, the icon becoming bigger with its label appearing above.

 _ **Wood Gauntlets: Lightweight gauntlets that grant minor boosts in Power and Speed but minor loss in Defense. Minor increase in range for punches.**_

"Huh. A couple of small power ups and range but a loss in defense," Kiryu said, tapping the menu away. "How do I summon them?"

"Just think about it! Changing gauntlets should be almost as natural as changing fighting styles for you."

Kiryu nodded, looking down at his gauntlets and simply thinking of the alternate form. Not a moment later, light ignited around them, shifting them into a pair of wooden bracers, the armor looking more like bark rather than the metal plates they once were. Holding them up, Kiryu understood what the boosts did, his arms now feeling strangely lighter than before. When he curled his fists, wooden spikes suddenly sprouted from the knuckles, going out several inches.

"So that's what it meant by extending my range a bit. Not bad," Kiryu said, fascinated.

"The benefits will only get better the more you add to your arenal! And once you start adding more rare materials to them, the more powerful those benefits will become!" Julius explained, examining the gauntlets with great interest. "Come, let's add more to it!"

Kiryu did as he asked, picking up the rocks and a piece of burnt lumber and adding them to the gauntlet. Two branches soon sprouted on the menu.

 _ **Stone Gauntlets: Heavy gauntlets that grant minor boosts in Power and Defense, but a minor loss in Speed. Rock projectiles can be launched. Four projectiles total with a recharge time of thirty seconds.**_

 _ **Ember Gauntlets: Midweight gauntlets that grant a minor Fire effect to punches and kicks. Small chance of leaving targets with a magical burn effect that lasts five seconds.**_

Kiryu dismissed the menu again, holding his right arm up and watching it shift forms again, first going to the stone gauntlets. The plates were replaced with rocky edges, and on the knuckles were two protruding spikes each. Kiryu extended an arm, remembering the words and thought of them shooting out. On command, one of the spikes fired forward like a slingshot, sailing past Julius and digging into the trunk of a nearby tree.

"Simply incredible, Kiryu! Looks like you're starting to get it!" Julius praised, grinning at the former yakuza. Nugget moved next to him, nodding its head up and down in approval, eyes shining with curiosity as it looked a bit closer at his newly changed gauntlets.

"Amazing… this thing can do way more than I realized…" Kiryu muttered, looking down at his arms as he shifted them to the Ember gauntlets. The stony edges transformed into what looked like burning bark, an interesting visual effect now spread across the gauntlets like that of a dying wood fire. He started to shadow box, getting a feel for the gauntlets. He noted that the sparks that came from these gauntlets weren't affected by the style aura that naturally surrounded his gauntlets when getting activated.

"There are so many possibilities you can achieve with these gauntlets, Kiryu. You can even absorb the skin, teeth or bones of demons and beasts that you defeat and add them to your arsenal as well!"

"Really? That works, too?" Kiryu said, sparing a look at Nugget. He raised a hand and plucked a feather from the bird's back, though it didn't seem to notice as it tilted its head curiously. He added the feather to his gauntlet, the menu once again popping up.

 _ **Demon Trainer Gauntlets: Boosts the development of Demons (small)**_

"Huh. That's strange," Kiryu commented, holding his chin in thought. "Nugget's feather only gave me something called the Demon Trainer Gauntlets that'll help him grow, I guess."

"Ah, yes. Another useful aspect of your bracers is the fact that the benefits won't always be to stats. Some will benefit other aspects of your being like repairing things, training demons as you can see, and much more. Even outside of combat, they can be very useful."

"That wasn't something I was expecting at all. These things get more complicated by the moment," Kiryu hummed, but nodded. "Still, you're right. Now I can use them for a lot more than I was expecting."

"Exactly! Now, I know you do a lot of your training in the mountain, but perhaps consider going into the forest to train as well," Julius suggested, motioning past the town. "There are plenty of beasts in it that you can get different forms from slaying as well. The more you have, the more potential you'll unlock!"

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind," Kiryu nodded, dismissing the gauntlets into their smaller form before looking up at the black filolial. "Come on, Nugget. We're going to the mountain first since we know most of what's up there. We'll gather materials from beasts up there."

"Pewa!" Nugget cawed in approval, moving to stand next to Kiryu.

"Thanks, Harken. This will definitely help me improve with these things," Kiryu said, giving a small bow of his head in appreciation.

"Think nothing of it. If anything, I'm investing in the protector of Lute above all else," Julius smiled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Alright, then. I'm off with Nugget," Kiryu turned around, grabbing Nugget's harness off a nearby post and setting it on the bird's back. "By the way, don't forget to buy those tables today. Melonie will throw a fit."

"Right, of course. I'll take care of it," Julius laughed, watching as Kiryu mounted Nugget and was beginning to trot off. That was when a thought suddenly came to him, the mage quickly extending an arm. "W-Wait, Kiryu! I forgot that I…" Before he could stop them, Kiryu and Nugget took off, leaving Julius in a depressed state.

"I… needed Nugget to help haul the cart around…"

 **To be continued…**

 **Thanks goes to my beta chidoriprime for helping me clean up the chapter as usual :)**

 **Alright, that's a rap! Sorry if this chapter seemed a bit mundane. Wanted to get a few things out of the way before we really link up with the main story of Shield Hero. The first meeting is rapidly approaching, so expect that soon enough!**

 **Also, in case some missed that reference during the tavern scene, the song that the drunk is singing before Kiryu sings is from Assassin's Creed: Black Flag (the only AC that I actually like haha). They had some good sea shanties :P**

 **Be sure to leave a follow, a favorite and a review if you'd be so kind :)**


	4. First Meetings

**Disclaimer: I own neither Yakuza or Rising of the Shield Hero**

First Meetings

 ***SKREE~!***

 **(Yakuza 0 OST: Ultimate Road Rage)**

Kiryu slammed his Ember Gauntlets into the lensed eye of a Monster Silkmoth, causing a small blaze to burst around its head. Though the Silkmoth was larger than a bear, with a wingspan twice that, the magical blaze was strong enough to bring it down. Still, Kiryu's head spun on a swivel, eyes narrowed as he watched several other Monster Silkmoths hover above.

"Shit… there's no end to them…" Kiryu cursed, looking toward his partner. "Nugget! Have you got one?"

"Pree~!" Nugget squaked in answer, turning his butt toward Kiryu to show that he had a Monster Silkworm hanging over it. The worm was almost the size of a small crocodile, wiggling around hopelessly on the filolial's back.

"Alright, let's go then! We don't need to fight them all!" Kiryu said, sprinting toward Nugget at full speed. He caught sight of another Monster Silkmoth flying low and attempting to sweep Kiryu up. The former yakuza stopped on a dime, launching himself into the air and avoiding the moth before it could drag its weight on top of him. Kiryu reeled an arm back, the gauntlets changing shape into a pair of Crystal Gauntlets created from absorbing the gems of the mountain. With greatly enhanced strength and weight, Kiryu brought a powerful fist down on the Silkmoth's head, causing its entire body to slam into the ground and creating a small crater.

Landing on top of it before rolling off, Kiryu grit his teeth as he dusted off the large, powdery scales of the Silkmoth in disgust, quickly picking up his pace and catching up to Nugget. He hopped on its back, tying the Silkworm in place so that it wouldn't fall of the filolial's back. "Okay, let's go!"

"Pree~!" Nugget immediately picked up speed, the two taking off through the dark and muggy forest in a hurry.

Kiryu looked up, seeing four more Monster Silkmoth's trailing close behind and getting ready to descend on them. "Careful, Nugget! They're starting to get closer! I'll try and scare them off."

Kiryu shifted gauntlets again, the armguards replaced by a bandolier of arrows while the front wrist shifted into a small bow. Kiryu pointed backward, narrowing his eyes as he took aim on the Monster Silkmoths. He fired an arrow from his wrist, hitting one in the wing but only causing it to minorly grumble in pain but still persisting.

 _I'll have to get headshots. These arrows are too small and don't have enough power…_

"Pree! Pree!" He heard Nugget screech, quickly shifting his attention forward.

"Huh? What's-" Kiryu's eyes widened, seeing several long, thick threads of silk hanging in their path. "Shit… Nugget, jump over them! We'll get swamped if we slow down!"

"Pree!" Nugget let out a squawk that Kiryu guessed was understanding. The Dragon of Dojima held tight to Nugget's back feathers, trying to remain stable as the filolial hopped through the air. As the two and their package landed safely, Kiryu quickly sat up looking back at a Silkmoth closing in on them and shot an arrow. He hit it directly in the eye, causing it to cry out in pain and tumble on the ground.

"We're almost out, keep going!" Kiryu said, keep his arm up as he took aim at another Silkmoth in hot pursuit. Kiryu widened his eyes when he saw it shoot a strand of silk, hoping to web them in. "Watch out!" Kiryu pulled on Nugget's rein, quickly causing the filolial to steer a bit to the right and narrowly avoid the strand. Normally Nugget might have squaked in complaint, but it seemed too focused on its task to care.

"Pewa!" Speaking of, Kiryu seemed to understand that this sound was another warning, quickly hugging close to Nugget again as he darted through the air and avoided another hanging strand.

As Kiryu sat back up and got ready to take another shot, Kiryu saw the light at the edge of the forest. "We're almost out. We just need to lose our company. But how..?"

Kiryu saw another hanging silk fast approaching in their path. An idea suddenly came to him, the former yakuza quickly shifting to new gauntlets. "Slide under this one, don't jump. I need to touch it."

"Pree~!" Nugget cawed, bending its legs close to the ground and allowing itself to pass under. The new gauntlets Kiryu wore shimmered with mist around them, the Dragon of Dojima quickly reaching up and scratching across the surface of the silk. It immediately started to freeze across all of the strands, hardening in no time. As the Silkmoths tried to fly through it, the first buckled over from the surprising density. This caused a dogpile, the remaining Silkmoths smashing into one another and flopping down on the ground.

Kiryu released a relaxed breath, basking in the sunlight as they finally reached the edge of the forest. "Good job, Nugget. We could have been stuck there fighting for a while."

"Pewa!" The bird answered, turning a small beaked smile back at its master. Kiryu stroked its neck feathers in approval before looking back at the still struggling worm on its back.

"Looks like we accomplished our mission. I hope this was all worth the effort."

* * *

"You two are a godsend! Thank you so so much for getting this for me!" Melonie praised them giddily, carrying the fat Silkworm between her arms without a care. "Monster Silkworms produce the most beautiful textile! And that's just what I want for my _wedding dress~_!"

Kiryu and Nugget stared at Melonie tiredly, both looking worn out and slightly annoyed.

"When you said that it was an emergency, I pictured… something else, Melonie…" Kiryu said slowly.

"But this is an emergency! I need everything to be perfect, after all! The wedding is close approaching, and none of the wedding dresses I looked at fit what I wanted!" Melonie said, tossing the worm onto a cart. "The tailor said that if we wanted anything better, a Monster Silkworm's silk is the way to go! Now that we have it, we'll be cutting on both cost while also getting something custom made!"

"I killed a lot of Silkmoths to get that thing, Melonie…"

"All for the greater good!"

Kiryu shared a small glance with Nugget, the bird rolling its eyes before trotting off to its feeding trough. Kiryu let out a short sigh, rubbing his neck as he walked up to the barmaid.

"Look, Melonie. I don't mind helping you out with your wedding stuff, but…"

"I know, I know. Thinking about it, _maybe~_ this was a bit much to ask… but I promise, I won't send you on another dangerous quest! I don't think there's anything else I would need that would require that… probably." Melonie tapped her chin in thought.

"Just… if you do, at least explain what it is, first." Kiryu said, relaxing his shoulders.

"I will, I will! Sorry about that," Melonie laughed before her eyes lit up. "Oh, and to help you out a little for your help, here!" She squeezed the Silkworm a bit, causing it to cough up a long strand of silk before holding it out to Kiryu. "Here! Have your gauntlets take in a bit! Might make for something useful!"

Kiryu took it, raising a brow in thought. "I hadn't thought about that… thanks. Though I hope it does more than just make silk…" Kiryu absorbed it, quickly pulling up a menu as a new gauntlet formed… with a spindle of thread around both arms. "The Thread Gauntlet… gives me the ability to make silk and use it as rope…"

"See? That's not so bad!"

"I think the Chain Gauntlet is more useful for those kind of things…" Kiryu mumbled before smirking at Melonie. "Well, thanks anyways. Even if that was a bit rougher than I was expecting, I'm happy to help with the wedding prep. I know you and Harken have been running around quite a bit."

"And know that we both appreciate all of your help. Especially when you make the bride's dreams come true," Melonie giggled, hopping over and giving him a quick hug. "I'll take this over to the tailor's. Thanks for the help!"

"Yeah." Kiryu said, watching as Melonie moved back to the carriage. He frowned though as something caught his eye. "Hey, Melonie."

"Yeah?"

"You look a little… pale." Kiryu said, raising a brow. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm okay. I honestly have been feeling a bit light headed today, but nothing too bad," Melonie said, waving a hand in front of her face. Though getting a better look at the young woman, Kiryu couldn't help but note her face's loss of color. "I'm pretty sure I just caught a bug. Plus we've been doing so much work, it's likely just a combination of things."

"If you say so… just don't work too hard, okay?" Kiryu said in concern.

"I'm fine, Kiryu. I'll have some tea once I get the chance to sit down. Thank you for your concern, though," She said, giving him a small smile before turning back to the cart. Kiryu watched her for a moment, feeling some concern linger before letting out a sigh.

 _Maybe I'm overthinking it. She's just working hard for the wedding._ Kiryu spared a look back at Nugget, walking over to the black filolial and offering it a piece of beef jerky he kept handy. The bird squeaked in pleasure, quickly snatching up the snack and swallowing it. "Thanks for the help today. You did good in that forest. I'm gonna go get a drink and relax for a while."

"Pewa~!" The bird chirped, nodding in understanding before relaxing in the small nest it had made out of hay.

Kiryu gave the bird another pat on the head before turning around and taking his leave. He straightened out his collar, giving the town a small once over. Kiryu was, for once, not in his typical gray suit, instead wearing some clothes more like the rest of the villagers, consisting of a black collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a pair of brown pants and boots.

After his original suit was torn during a fight, Kiryu was having several of the same made after showing the seamstress the material. The seamstress seemed enamored by his different, newly introduced clothing material and was quick to work on several sets of suits for him, several of which were being made with a special magic thread to make it more durable, flexible and capable of use in more hazardous terrain. It would take her several days before finishing, but he could get by on what he wore for now.

"Look! It's the Bow Hero!"

Kiryu hesitated, raising a brow as he looked down the street toward the entrance of the town. He could see several riders approaching on filolials, though the leader of the group rode on a small dragon that Kiryu had seen rarely.

The rider in mention was a young man, in his mid teens if Kiryu guessed rightly. He had short messy light brown hair and golden eyes. He wore a short green shoulder cape with a pauldron over his left shoulder with brown and white garments underneath. He greeted the townsfolk with a gentle wave and smile, one that almost looked like something a celebrity would give to their fans. Not entirely disingenuous, but somewhat proud and practised.

But despite everyone else's warm welcome, Kiryu found himself going on guard. Nothing about the Bow Hero personally made him cautious, rather a warning that Julius had given him not long after the summoning of the Four Legendary Heroes came to mind.

" _Try and conceal that you're from another world. It might cause some problems for me if word were to get back to the king that some other stranger was summoned here somehow. Especially if those gauntlets were to be recognized."_

Kiryu often kept the gauntlets hidden in the shape of modest wristbands, being both easy to walk around with and not so obvious as a weapon. Though judging from the boy's facial features, another worrying thought came to mind.

 _That kid… he looks Asian. Possibly Japanese, at that._ Kiryu thought, eyes narrowing. _It'd probably be best to keep my heritage quiet, too. There are some Asian types in this land, so he might not notice. But only if we actually talk somehow._

"Welcome to Lute Village, Bow Hero!" A villager greeted as the boy and his crew slowed to a stop. "How can we help you today?"

"Hello there! I was hoping to actually find someone in your modest village," The Bow Hero said, climbing down from his mount and smiling. "I heard that there was a man here that saved the village once? One by the name of… Kazuma Kiryu I believe?"

… _Damn it._ Kiryu turned his back to the Bow Hero, not wanting to get exposed immediately.

"Oh, you mean our little town's very own savior? Of course! He's right there, in fact!"

Kiryu felt his shoulders tense, somewhat annoyed that he was already pointed out by another villager. It was harmless on the surface, but Kiryu was hoping to avoid any sort of troublesome talks.

"Oh, that was rather quick!" The Bow Hero laughed behind him, Kiryu hearing his voice growing louder as he approached. The former yakuza could only sigh, unable to escape now. "Kiryu-san, correct?"

 _San? So he is Japanese._ Kiryu slowly turned around, facing the boy. He was shorter than Kiryu realized, having about about a foot in height over him.

"That's me. Can I help you?" Kiryu asked, trying to act casual.

"Wow, you even look Japanese! I'd almost think we were from the same place!" The boy said with a spirited grin, extending his arm to shake. "I'm sure you know by now, but I'm the Bow Hero, Itsuki Kawasumi! It's a pleasure to meet a fellow hero of justice!"

' _Justice'?_ Kiryu raised a brow at the boy's phrasing, but kept his thoughts to himself, extending his own arm and shaking hands. "It's a pleasure to meet you, but… I wouldn't really say I'm something like that. I just happened to be passing by at the time."

"Still, you did save this village from a bandit attack. All alone and without a weapon to help you, no less! That sounds like a real hero to me!" Itsuki persisted, giving Kiryu's hand a fast shake before finally letting go. His party started to crowd around him, all of who Kiryu noted were adults possibly twice Itsuki's age. While some of the faces seemed somewhat welcoming or neutral, a man in silver armor and sporting a large mustache eyed Kiryu warily.

 _Seems like mustached knights always have a problem with me._

"Well, I guess. So, was there something you needed from me?" Kiryu asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Though he had guessed what was coming.

"As a Hero to Melromarc, I feel that it's to be my duty to help out the citizens of the kingdom and bring justice to those who deserve it!" Itsuki said, the teen puffing out his chest proudly. "I was hoping to have you join me and my party on this adventure! We could use someone of your strength to support me on my quest!"

Kiryu resisted the urge to sigh. The kid didn't seem entirely phoney, but he was certainly trying too hard. _In another world or not, he's still just a kid._ He spared a look at the party surrounding Itsuki, none of them seeming to mind his words much. _Still… the kid has plenty of adults around him. Hopefully they'll help teach him a thing or two about the world._

"I appreciate the offer, but I'll pass." Kiryu finally answered, causing the boy and some of his party to frown. The knight especially seemed irritated by his answer.

"Eh?! But why?" Itsuki asked.

"Tell me. When the Wave hits, where will you be?" Kiryu asked, causing the boy to blink at first.

"Fighting the Wave's boss, of course! Along with the other Heroes. Well, at least two of the other Heroes…"

Kiryu had heard the rumors surrounding the Shield Hero shortly after his arrival. How he had 'allegedly' raped a woman and was ejected from the kingdom. Julius seemed to doubt the legitimacy of the claim due to obvious reasons, though admitted that he wasn't sure what kind of man the Shield Hero was, either.

Kiryu quickly shook the thought off. "Then there you go. While you'll be fighting the Wave boss, I'll be here, defending this village." He said, uncrossing his arms.

"And what exactly are you implying?!" The knight barked next to Itsuki, taking a step forward. "That our mission be of lesser import than your desire to protect this single village?!"

"I didn't say that. I think the Bow Hero here has a very important job," Kiryu said, eyes narrowing at the knight. "And while he's doing his part to stop the Wave, I'll be doing my part to make sure that there are less casualties."

"But if you were to provide your aid to the Heroes' efforts in defeating the Wave boss, you might shorten the amount of time it takes to end the Wave. Wouldn't you want that?" A man in a cloak, far more civil than the knight, suggested.

"With the other Heroes there to fight it, I don't know how much help I would be. I'd rather stay here and protect what I can from danger." Kiryu easily deflected. "This village is my home. I don't plan to leave its safety to chance."

"Hmph! Sounds more like the excuses of a coward," the knight scoffed, though the glare Kiryu sent his way caused him to momentarily flinch.

"Mald, it's fine! No need for such words," Itsuki said, controlling the situation before the knight could dig his hole deeper with Kiryu. The young boy gave a somewhat disappointed smile, but nodded. "I understand. It would have been nice to have another warrior of justice join us, but I get it. I won't push any further."

"Sorry to have wasted your time, Bow Hero. Good luck to you and your party on your quest." Kiryu said, giving a small bow of his head.

"Thank you. Maybe once the Wave has passed, I'll come by again and see what you'll say!" Itsuki laughed before giving a small salute, turning to his party and waving a hand. "Let's go, everyone!"

"Yes!" They answered, the group slowly moving out. Mald spared Kiryu a final, annoyed glance before huffing and turning his back to the man, following the others.

Kiryu finally released a sigh that he had been holding back, fishing into his shirt pocket for the rolled up cigarette he had been saving. "I hope that kid will be okay with party members like that around him…"

* * *

"Pree!"

"We're almost home, relax. This will be our last big job for the wedding, then we can take a break."

Kiryu and Nugget had been sent on another dangerous task in the name of Melonie's perfect wedding. While Kiryu was a bit reluctant, he was at least able to appreciate Melonie's honesty about their objective this time around. The two set out to retrieve a special bloom of flower from a mountain top that would be used to for her bouquet among other things.

What made it so dangerous was the fact that the mountain was inhabited by demonic lion beasts. All of which traveled in packs together. If Kiryu had tried braving that mountain the first day he came here, he had no doubt he would have been cat feed.

 _I'm getting way stronger than I thought possible._ He spared a look down at his bracers, eyes narrowing. _I'm faster than before, too. Each level seems to boost my overall prowess. It wouldn't be wrong to say that I'm basically superhuman. I guess that's how certain video games work. But still… even fighting those Demon Pumas wasn't nearly as tough as I expected._

Nugget slowed to a stop, drawing Kiryu out of his thoughts. "What is it?" He asked, raising a brow at the bird.

"Pew!" Nuggets head turned back and forth. Kiryu didn't get it, watching the filolial point toward the grassland to their right. He looked into the field but couldn't see much. But in the distance, he could hear it. The sound of someone fighting. The battle cry of what he guessed was a girl and some beast.

"Is someone in trouble..?" Kiryu mumbled, climbing down from the cart. "Stay with the wagon, Nugget. If anything happens to those flowers, Melonie won't let us hear the end of it."

"Pewa!"

Kiryu pushed through the tall grass, following the sounds of battle. Whoever it was seemed to be doing well, as it sounded more like some animal was being slain if the death chortals were anything to go by. The further he pushed, the shorter the grass became, giving him full view of the field.

"YAAAH~!"

Kiryu raised a brow, impressed by the sight before him. It was indeed a young girl who was slaying some oversized porcupines, though they weren't anything outrageously huge. She looked to be about her early to mid-teens. Her hair was a soft orange and long, going down her back. She also had a pair of raccoon ears on top of her head and a fluffy tail sticking out from behind, indicating to Kiryu that she was a demi-human. She carried a short sword in hand and wore a brown and red battle dress with thigh high worn boots.

There were several of the monster porcupines, some of them surrounding her cautiously. For good reason as well, because the moment one tried to lunge at the girl from behind, she side-stepped it with surprising swiftness, quickly bringing her sword down and cutting the beast in half.

 _She's pretty good for a kid._ Kiryu thought, crossing his arms as he watched in mild interest. _But what's a kid doing out here alone?_

"Raphtalia, don't leave yourself open too long!"

Kiryu's eyes trailed to the left, seeing another figure watching close by. This was an older boy, looking in his late teens possibly. He had messy, spiked black hair and wore a neutral frown on his face. He wore a high collared dark green cloak over some modest brown garbs. Kiryu could see a tired, cold edge in his green eyes, watching the young woman with a critical gaze.

"Yes, Master Naofumi!" The girl, Raphtalia as he called her, answered. She quickly side-stepped another attack from a porcupine, but this time put some distance between herself and the remaining two, placing them both in front of her.

 _Is he her trainer or something..? She did call him master…_

The boy was obviously older, but he didn't look old enough to be considered an experienced warrior. In fact, Kiryu would say that Naofumi was close to his current physical age of twenty. Then again, there were a few people that had told him he was already a better fighter than most at that age. _And strength is only limited by level here._

"Shield Prison!"

Kiryu was pulled out of his thoughts, watching the young man named Naofumi raise his arm up. Kiryu couldn't quite make out what he was holding, especially when a green light resonated from it. A moment later, one of the porcupine was trapped in a strange metal ball. "Now! Kill the other while I restrain this one!"

"Yes, Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia quickly lunged at the only exposed porcupine, stabbing right through its chest and killing it. She quickly twirled around, her blade raised above the ball. "Now, Master Naofumi!"

With her word, the ball disappeared, the demi-human bringing the short sword down and stabbing through the quilled back of the porcupine before it could run. It let out one last death chortal before slumping on the ground, dead. The girl wiped a trail of blood from her face, giving her 'master' a gentle smile. "We did it, Master Naofumi!"

"Good job. Even a few in a pack are becoming easy work for you," Naofumi nodded, his voice bordering on cold but not ingenuine.

It was at about this time that Kiryu thought he should make his presence known, walking toward the duo slowly. "You two seemed to handle yourselves fine."

The moment Kiryu spoke, Naofumi and Raphtalia snapped their heads up to his direction, the former's eyes immediately filled with caution while the latter tilted her head curiously.

"Who are you?" Naofumi immediately asked, taking a step in front of Raphtalia.

"Master Naofumi! You shouldn't greet someone like that!" the raccoon-eared girl whispered to him, giving a small, scolding glare that was more adorable than intimidating.

"Sorry. I was just on the road when I heard the sound of your fight. I came to check things out in case someone needed help." Kiryu said, his eyes trailing to the dead porcupines. "Looks like no one did."

Naofumi's expression somewhat relaxed, though his eyes were still narrowed as if assessing his answer. And though it was subtle, Kiryu didn't miss the fact that he hid his arm behind his cloak. "I see. Well, we're fine."

"We were just out here training! A few porcupines aren't going to stop us," Raphtalia declared, giving a bubbly smile.

Kiryu smirked at their different personalities. The boy was obviously far more cautious than the girl, who seemed full of spirit while he remained reserved. It almost reminded him a bit of Haruka in her younger days. "I see. Sorry for disturbing you, then. I'll leave you to it."

"Actually, we're just about done training. Right, Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia said, looking up at the young man.

"Yeah, we're done for today. Let's gather up what we can from the porcupines to sell and then we'll head to Lute Village." Naofumi said, pointing to the corpses.

"Lute Village?" Kiryu repeated, turning back to them curiously. "That's where I'm headed. If you don't have a wagon, I can give you a ride."

Naofumi raised a brow at his offer, suspicion covering his face again. "Why?"

"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia snapped, jabbing him lightly in the side with her elbow before smiling at Kiryu. "We would greatly appreciate that, if you would have us!"

"Hey, Raphtalia…" Naofumi hissed in disapproval.

"Master Naofumi, we're both tired! It's been a long day and Lute Village is still a few hours away by foot!" Raphtalia retorted, placing her hands on her hips. "There's no reason to push ourselves if we don't have to!"

"... Tsk." Naofumi clicked his tongue, his eyes darting back to Kiryu. "How much do you want for a ride?"

"I wasn't expecting pay when I offered." Kiryu said, crossing his arms over his chest. _The kid's real cautious. Must have run into trouble in the past._ "It's where I'm headed anyway, so it's not a problem."

Naofumi continued to look suspicious, his eyes trailing to the side for a moment. They landed on Raphtalia, the raccoon girl giving him a puffy cheeked plea as her eyes shined. Finally, he sighed, giving a nod.

"Alright. Thanks for the ride, then."

"Yeah. I'll wait for you by the road." Kiryu said, turning around and heading back through the grass. Nugget was still on the road where he left him, the bird's head snapping to him as he came out.

"Pewa!"

"Sorry for the wait. It wasn't a big deal," Kiryu said, patting the filolial's back as he climbed up to the driver seat. "But we're gonna wait a little longer. We're getting a couple passengers."

"Pew?" Nugget turned its head back to him, tilting it to the side in question.

"You'll see. Try and be friendly."

The bird huffed in response, instead shifting its attention to a small scratch under its wing, pecking at it as they waited. It wasn't long before Naofumi and Raphtalia came out of the brush, the raccoon girl skipping ahead while Naofumi trailed carefully behind her. Kiryu watched him scan the road with caution, almost as if expecting to be attacked. Part of Kiryu wondered if Naofumi was suspicious of him based on his looks, as it wouldn't be the first time several people thought he was a thug. But with the way that Raphtalia seemed to act, it was probably normal.

"Thanks for waiting! We're ready," Raphtalia said, stopping alongside the wagon before looking at Nugget, her eyes widening curiously. "Oh my, I've never seen one this color! It's so pretty!"

"I haven't either. Most are a pretty bland brown," Naofumi mumbled, stroking his chin curiously as he finally approached the cart.

"Nugget's a special type of filolial, from what I've been told. Though I'd say that's more because of its attitude problem." Kiryu smirked. Nugget in turn looked back at him and blew a raspberry before looking back forward. "Anyways, hop in the back. Should be plenty of room. Just make sure you don't touch the flowers, they're pretty important."

"Nugget..?" Naofumi mumbled, raising a brow in minor disbelief.

"Understood! Thank you, mister..? Oh, we never got your name." Raphtalia said with some regret.

"It's Kiryu. It's no problem."

"I see. Thank you, Mister Kiryu!" Raphtalia said with a bright smile before skipping to the back of the wagon.

"Yeah… thank you." Naofumi said slowly, his expression softening as he said that before following the girl to the back. Kiryu gave him a small nod, waiting until they were both loaded in before urging Nugget forward.

"My, these are such pretty flowers!" Kiryu heard Raphtalia from the back. "What are they for?"

"A wedding. Friends of mine are getting married soon, and the bride has a lot of demands," Kiryu explained with an amused smirk.

"They sent a guy like you to get some flowers?" Naofumi asked, the obvious implication there. _I guess he does think I look like a thug._

"They weren't exactly easy to get. Had to go to the top of a mountain and fight some Demon Pumas before I could collect them."

"You did that just for your friend's _wedding_?" Naofumi asked incredulously, causing Kiryu to spare a small look back at him.

"No. I did it for my friend. I owe them a lot, and don't mind doing a few things that will help make them happy." Kiryu answered. Naofumi's mouth opened to retort, only for it to slowly close.

"Sounds like you really care about your friends, Mister Kiryu." Raphtalia said, giving the former yakuza a kind smile.

"Yeah… they've helped me for a while now. It's nice to return the favor." Kiryu said, turning his attention back to the road. "So, what are you two training for?"

"Master Naofumi and I are preparing for the Waves. I'm his sword, and he is-" Raphtalia was suddenly silenced, causing Kiryu to shoot a look back. He barely caught sight of Naofumi silently shaking his head and the raccoon girl quickly recovering. "H-He is my master, of course!"

"Master, huh? Like your teacher?" Kiryu asked, deciding not to push on her verbal misstep.

"More like her owner. She's my slave."

Kiryu suddenly jerked on the reins, causing the wagon to shake as Nugget came to a sudden halt. The former yakuza slowly turned his head, a narrow eyed glare sent Naofumi's way.

"Your _what_?"

Naofumi and Raphtalia stared at Kiryu in moderate shock, taken off guard by his sudden change in mood. But Naofumi decided to remain stony, furrowing his brow as he locked eyes with Kiryu.

"My slave. Is that a problem?"

Kiryu wasn't naive to the topic. Harken had explained that slaves hadn't been limited to only beasts. Demi-humans were also victims of slavery, and it was completely legal in Melromarc. He had come close to attacking a slave owner passing through town once, only stopping because of Julius. The mage reminded him that, regretfully, because it wasn't against the law, attacking a slave owner could have some big consequences. No one in Lute had demi-humans as slaves thankfully and most if not all the villagers did not seem to discriminate.

But still, legal or not, Kiryu wasn't fond of the idea of demi-human slaves. They were just like any other person. And because of that, Kiryu had regretted his inaction that day. Julius had also explained that, in certain other countries, the reverse was true, but that didn't make it anymore right. If anything, it showed that the demi-humans were just as flawed.

"I generally don't agree with it." Kiryu's voice was low, his brow knitting as he bore into Naofumi. While the boy remained strong under his gaze, his expression softened somewhat.

"Not all of us have a choice if we want to survive."

Kiryu raised a brow at that, somewhat taken back by his words. Before the staring contest could continue, Raphtalia quickly stood between them, her arms spread out wide.

"Mister Kiryu. I appreciate that you don't approve of slavery… but Master Naofumi is different!" Raphtalia declared, causing the former yakuza to look into her eyes. "He treats me well! He feeds me, bathes me and takes care of me! If it wasn't for Master Naofumi, I wouldn't be alive right now! I… I might be under a far worse master…" She mumbled, her expression becoming somewhat shaken as she held a hand to her chest. "But Master Naofumi gave me strength when I was weak! So please, don't look at him with hate!"

"Stop it, Raphtalia…" Naofumi muttered, his eyes trailing to the ground. "He wouldn't be the first."

Kiryu looked back at the boy in wonder, seeing a defeated and broken expression now replacing his resolve. Despite his obvious problems with slavery, Kiryu found Raphtalia's words to be genuine. She spoke from the heart and her eyes showed the truth. _She really cares about him._

"Look, if it's enough of a problem with you, we can get off here." Naofumi said, slowly rising to his feet.

"No. You can stay." Kiryu said, causing the young man to hesitate and look at him in surprise. Kiryu felt some conflicting emotions rise up, but gave a resigned sigh. "If she thinks that high of you… maybe I shouldn't be too quick to judge. Let's go, Nugget."

"Pwe!" Nugget complained, looking at Kiryu with irritation.

"Look, sorry for jerking the reins so suddenly. Let's go already. I'll feed you some good meat when we get back." Nugget seemed subdued by the idea, his head perking up before quickly turning back to the road and beginning to trot again.

"Thank you, Mister Kiryu." He heard Raphtalia over his shoulder.

"I still don't approve, but…" Kiryu spared a small glance back at Naofumi, the young man still staring at him in shock. "... It sounds like there's more to the story than I know."

"Maybe someday we'll tell you. If you'll hear us out," Raphtalia said, giving Kiryu a gentle smile. The Dragon of Dojima couldn't stop a small smile, more and more reminded of Haruka through the girl's kind expression.

"Well… I guess I wouldn't be against hearing about it if you guys ever felt like explaining." Kiryu said, turning his eyes back to the road ahead. Naofumi remained silent, his eyes drifting back to the wood floor of the wagon as he gripped the fabric of his shirt gently.

* * *

Kiryu sat on the front porch of Julius and Melonie's house. It had been over a week since meeting the duo out in that field. While Kiryu parted from the two with mixed feelings, he did somewhat expect to see them again. Naofumi was quiet and apathetic, but Raphtalia was kind and warm-spirited. The dynamic of their relationship was interesting to the Dragon of Dojima. And he somewhat hoped to learn the source of Naofumi's concealed anger.

But, right now, that was the furthest thing from his mind.

" _We're getting close, Kiryu! Only a couple days, now." Julius said, rubbing his hands together as he and the Dragon of Dojima walked home. "Only a couple days…"_

" _Yeah. Try not to get too nervous about it." Kiryu smirked, walking close behind the mage._

" _Nervous? Who's nervous? I'm not… not completely… yes, I'm wholly nervous," Julius relented, his shoulders slacking._

" _We've done all the hard work. All you have to do is dress nice and walk down an aisle, now." Kiryu reassured him, putting a hand on his shoulder as he moved to his side. "Just stay strong."_

 _"Yes. Yes, you're right. Hoo, just a couple days of waiting, and then… we're married." Julius nodded fervently. The two had done some drinking, so Kiryu could tell that he was also a bit tipsy._

" _Maybe we should have had a couple more drinks. It might've helped you relax a bit," Kiryu let out a short chuckle._

" _No, no, no. I don't want to risk any dumb business so close to the wedding. We'll stick to light drinking for now. Heavy drinking can come the day of," Julius joked, slapping his shoulder before walking up to the door. "Melonie, my love! We're back!" He called out as they walked inside. They didn't receive an answer, the mage looking around._

" _She's not working?"_

" _No, she… wanted to take the last couple days off to make sure preparations were… going…" Julius trailed off as he walked further into his house. His breath hitched when he saw Melonie sprawled out on the ground, her face pale and a pool of bile by her cheek._

" _ **Melonie!**_ _"_

The front door slowly opened, causing Kiryu to snap to his feet in urgency. "How is she?"

Julius slowly walked out, his face pale and his expression grave. "Not good… The doctor says that… that she got an unlucky bug bite. It left her with a virus. A very dangerous virus if not treated…"

"Can the doctor do anything for her?" Kiryu asked, his voice quiet.

"They… they need a specific herb to heal her. For a potion." Julius explained, swallowing a thick lump in his throat. "But that herb is rare. It's not often farmed, and you won't be able to find it at the Capital city."

"Where do we get it then?"

"One of the mountains… several days away by carriage." Julius explained, biting his bottom lip and inhaling a shaky breath. "But the doctor… they don't know if…"

Kiryu's fist gripped at his side, but he held strong. He extended a hand, gently touching Julius' shoulder.

"Several days by carriage, right? Then if I take Nugget out now, we can probably cover that time much faster."

"Kiryu…" Julius looked back at his home, swallowing the fear he felt building inside. "She… She's not looking good…"

"That's why you can't give up on her, now." Kiryu said, pulling the mage's gaze back to him. "Just leave it to me and Nugget. We'll go and get that herb before it's too late."

"I… but… but what about the Wave?" Julius mumbled, his eyes widening. "I-It'll be soon… only three more days…"

"Looks like Nugget has his work cut out for him, then. We'll try to be back before it starts. If not, just make sure that you guys stay safe until the Heroes end it." Kiryu said, looking down with some confliction. "I'll do my best to bring the herb back before it starts… but hopefully it'll be like you said, and won't focus too heavily near the village."

Julius was silent, holding back the fearful tears from shedding. He looked back at his house, biting his bottom lip. "She was so excited… We were supposed to be married by now… I… I just seem to-"

" _Julius!_ " Kiryu snapped, pulling his attention back to him. "She's not gone yet. Okay? Just stay by her side and be strong. For her. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Julius looked at the former yakuza, some color and strength returning to his face. He gave a short nod, bringing a hand up to Kiryu's shoulder. "Please hurry."

"I will." Kiryu nodded, turning around and walking to the the front yard. "Nugget, come on."

"Pewa!" The bird gave a resounding chirp, hopping to Kiryu's side with a quickness. It seemed to understand what was going on, its expression focused and forward. Kiryu didn't delay, quickly pulling himself onto his saddle.

"K-Kiryu, wait! Before you go," Julius ran back into the house, taking several minutes before returning with a large bag. "I've packed it with supplies for your trip. You might be in a hurry, but we still need you both strong. I've marked a map in your bag with where you need to go as well as a picture of the herb you'll need. Head west from the village and through the forest, it'll be your best path."

"Thanks, Julius. You keep holding on, and we'll do our part."

"I trust you will. Godspeed, Kiryu. We'll both be waiting." Julius said, giving a shaky smile in hopes of looking confident. Kiryu gave a firm nod before quickly pulling Nugget's reins. The filolial gave a loud chirp before dashing off at full speed, leaving a trail of dust behind it. Julius watched them go with some trepidation, but swiftly turned back around and rushing inside, making sure to stay next to Melonie as she lay in bed, nearly the color of corpse.

"I… feel bad…" Melonie mumbled out weakly, earning a small, trembling laugh from her fiance.

"You look worse."

"No… I mean…" Melonie looked up at Julius, inhaling a hollow breath. "I keep having… Kiryu run around. I need to… pay him back sometime…"

"I believe we both do. So make sure you are strong enough to offer that by the time he gets back."

 **To be continued…**

 **Thanks goes to my beta chidoriprime for their help cleaning things up :)**

 **Sorry that the chapter's a bit shorter than the others. It was pretty much the lead up into the final days before the Second Wave. And of course, things aren't going so smoothly for Kiryu as things approach. He didn't even get to see their wedding yet!**

 **Well, we got our first meeting with Naofumi and Kiryu done. Things couldn't go too smoothly between them considering that Raphtalia is indeed his slave. But thankfully, Kiryu's the type to keep from judging things on the surface. And with the kind of love that Raphtalia has for Naofumi, it's hard for Kiryu to decide how he should feel about Naofumi. For now.**

 **As to the guest who keeps suggesting that Kiryu get his own party: No, that wouldn't make sense. That would render the title of the story pretty moot. And there's no reason for me to do that in the first place. Now, will Kiryu immediately join the party?**

 **Guess you guys will have to read and find out :P**

 **Though one thing I do have to announce: Next month, I will be taking off from writing my monthly updated stories, including The Shield's Dragon. I just need a small break, as I've literally been writing one chapter a week. I'm sure you all understand. In that month though, I am considering taking some writing commissions, so keep an eye out for more info on that.**

 **Anyways, that's it for this chapter. Again, sorry that it's a bit short. Things are going to pick up soon enough in the next chapter, I promise. So look forward to that! Please leave a review, a follow and a favorite if you'd be so kind!**


	5. The Shield Hero

**Disclaimer: I own neither the Yakuza series or Rising of the Shield Hero**

The Shield Hero

 **(Yakuza 6 OST: With Impatience)**

"Faster, Nugget! We're almost home!"

"SQUAAA~!"

Kiryu grit his teeth, looking down at his watch for the umpteenth time in one hour. He and Nugget had accomplished their mission. After some grueling time spent climbing the mountain, fighting their way through dozens of wild beasts and creatures, Kiryu and Nugget were able to obtain the herb. But much of their time had been spent scaling the mountain and fighting, forcing the two to take short rests to eat and gain their strength back. Judging from what the HUD had told him, Kiryu and Nugget were above the monsters in strength, but their numbers and the height of the mountain had played much into their slowed progress.

Three days had passed since then. And Kiryu and Nugget were nearly 20 minutes away from Lute. Kiryu knew better than anyone that 20 minutes is an eternity in a fight. And the Wave was just around the corner. The most grueling part for Kiryu was that he didn't know the exact time it would start or how he would know.

Nugget skidded to a stop, causing Kiryu to raise a brow. "What are you doing? We have to…" Kiryu noticed its gaze directed skyward, following Nugget's line of sight and looking up. His eyes widened in horror as the once morning sunlit sky suddenly turned a dark shade of red. He could see what looked like portals opening up high above, indiscernible creatures pouring out and raining down. The patterns were sporadic, opening at random across the sky.

It did little to make Kiryu feel better. Seeing how many monsters were pouring out, he could only fear the worst.

"Hurry, Nugget! Let's go!" Kiryu said, tugging on the filolial's reins. Nugget squaked in answer before finally speeding forward. Kiryu watched several monsters flow into the surrounding forest, some of which he had no doubt noticed their presence. But he could only hope to rely on Nugget's speed. They didn't have time to waste on any distractions and needed to reach Lute before it was too late.

The people of Lute Village were kind, good people. Kiryu had suggested some preparations for the Wave, but with little funds and manpower, there was only so much they could prepare. The Dragon of Dojima just hoped that Lute was lucky enough not to be heavily focused on by monsters, or that the knights would arrive and protect the citizens.

"SQUAA~!" Nugget drew Kiryu's attention up, the former yakuza widening his eyes as he saw several monsters crawling out from between the trees, several large skeletal soldiers staggering onto the road ahead.

"Don't slow down. I'll handle anything in our way." Kiryu said, his gauntlets illuminating before shifting in shape. Kiryu pushed off Nugget's back, catapulting himself forward at a large skeleton soldier directly ahead of them.

"Out of the way!" Kiryu growled,the gauntlets refracting some light as he formed the Crystal Gauntlets. He slammed his fist with great force down on the exposed skull, knocking it over without issue and slamming its head hard enough into the ground to shatter it.

"PEWA~!"

Kiryu extended his arm, his hand grabbing hold of Nugget's saddle just as he passed. He quickly tossed himself back onto the seat and held the reins.

"Good job, Nugget. Keep it up, we're almost there," said Kiryu as he patted the filolial's neck. From there, they ran into very little trouble, Nugget being fast enough to avoid any further monsters that might try to block their way. It wasn't long until they reached the end of the forest, getting to a higher point that would give them a view of the village from a distance.

And much to their dread, Kiryu and Nugget could see Lute. Surrounded by fell beasts and monsters. Some fires had broken out across the village, though somewhat positively, it didn't look like one had spread across the whole town. Houses were still intact. But Kiryu had no idea if that meant the villagers were okay.

"Faster, Nugget!"

The filolial sped forward, closing the distance between them and the village at breakneck speeds. Kiryu gripped the reins tightly, praying to whoever was out there that he wasn't too late.

" _You're always too late. That's why these things happen."_

Arai Hiroaki's words burned into Kiryu's core. This wouldn't be the first time he failed someone because he was too late. And in this case, Kiryu would fail the whole village. Not to mention Harken and Melonie. He couldn't take it. Even in this new world, with this second chance, would he just keep losing what's important to him?

 _No. I'm not too late. Not yet._

Kiryu forced the ocean of fear to stand still. Fretting over it now would do him no good. All he had to think about was the task at hand. And thanks to Nugget's speed, they soon came upon the village.

What looked like zombie soldiers filled the dirt road leading to the town, and the sky was filled with monstrous hornets hovering above. Their attention didn't turn to Kiryu and Nugget upon arrival, each one seemingly moving with a purpose deeper into town.

"Shit, there's a lot of them. Nugget, go and help any villagers you find. I'm going to try and draw them-"

"Come this way, you damned zombies!"

Kiryu and Nugget raised their heads, an unfamiliar voice crying out above the moans of the undead monsters.

"Someone's fighting them…? we've got to hurry!"

"PEWA~!"

* * *

 _Shit, what the hell's wrong with me? Why am I risking my life for a bunch of strangers?_

That was the prominent thought going through Naofumi's mind. The Shield Hero had thought he would fight the Waves 'his way', after all. And what he thought he meant by that was to just fight monsters and let the rest of the world rot until he could go home. So he couldn't help but question why he was currently sprinting through Lute Village, drawing away the horde from the townspeople. And without Raphtalia to fight for him, no less, having sent the demi-human off to guide the people out.

 _I'm such a fool._

Naofumi wasn't sure why, but a small chuckle escaped his mouth, swinging a torch around and batting away several monstrous hornets from touching him. He ran out into the open, waving the torch back and forth to draw more attention to himself. But further down the road, he could see several villagers still surrounded, each feebly defending themselves against the monsters. Even with the noise Naofumi had made so far, he wasn't drawing all of them.

"It won't work, there's too many of them… I have to figure out a way to minimize damage to the village," Naofumi muttered to himself, eyes scanning around for an option. His eyes landed on the wooden watch tower at the center of the village, an idea springing to life.

 _Guess I have no choice. Here goes-_

What sounded like a small explosion erupted from the front of the village, causing Naofumi to hesitate. His head snapped up, looking just in time to see several zombie bodies fly across the air. _What?_

"PEWA~!"

Naofumi felt his eyes widened when he saw a vaguely familiar black filolial hop over the horde of zombies. It ran straight for the surrounded villagers, lunging forward with a kick and smacking the zombies away.

"N-Nugget! You're back!" A villager cried with joy as the bird stood defensively in front of them. "Th-Then that means he's-"

"Sorry I'm late."

Naofumi felt another wave of familiarity hit him. Looking back at the horde, their attention was drawn to the new arrival. Naofumi was soon greeted by the sight of Kiryu, the man he not long ago hitched a ride with. Naofumi felt a brow raise in disbelief, watching as the man stalked forward, directly at the mob of zombies. Finding his wits again, Naofumi was about to call out to him to be careful, but stopped when he saw the thuggish looking man smash his fist into the head of a zombie soldier. Its head was knocked clean off and sailed through the air like a baseball.

"Holy shit…" he muttered, watching the onslaught that soon followed Kiryu's first punch. He noted that Kiryu was now wearing some strange, glowing gauntlets illuminated orange from a jewel, and that Kiryu had no weapons to speak of. Not that he needed one, apparently, as he soon picked up one zombie and swung it around like a ragdoll, batting away the horde closest to him before throwing the body away. The color changed from orange to blue, as did the form of the gauntlets, as Kiryu slammed his fist into another zombie.

 _This guy is… something else…_ Naofumi thought for a moment before shaking his head, narrowing his eyes before dashing forward. Despite the obvious prowess that Kiryu was showing, the man was still surrounded. The Shield Hero somewhat doubted that the man needed his help, but thought there was no harm in giving a helping hand to the one person making his life much easier at the moment.

"Air Shield!" Naofumi created a green energy shield, having it hover above Kiryu and blocking several of the hornets that attempted to sting him. Kiryu's eyes darted over to Naofumi, recognition and surprise crossing his eyes at first before he swung and smashed down another zombie. Naofumi smashed his shield into the face of another zombie, though disappointingly didn't have near the same effect that Kiryu had on it, though it did stagger back.

"Thanks," Kiryu said, his gauntlets having changed again, now covered in ashen metal, and swinging his arm and burning away the hornets above as the Air Shield dissipated.

"I doubt you needed the help," Naofumi huffed, feeling the need to be somewhat snippity considering the guy was making short work of the mob while he himself was forced to run and defend.

Kiryu followed Naofumi's statement by dashing past him, punching the top half of another zombie close behind the Shield Hero. "Not just for that."

Naofumi raised a brow at him, but drew his attention back up to the horde, deciding to keep his attention forward. He backed up, and found that Kiryu did the same. "What else for, then?"

"For being here to help the village." Kiryu answered, causing Naofumi to raise a brow. "I had to leave before the Wave hit… and I don't know how things would have been if you weren't here."

Naofumi felt his guard drop a bit, hearing sincerity in Kiryu's voice. But he immediately put his guard back up, his lips turning into a thin line. "Well, until those idiots end the Wave, I'd save your thanks for later."

"Right. So, you're the Shield Hero?" Kiryu asked before lashing out with a quick as lightning roundhouse to an approaching zombie. It folded in half upon impact. "I guess you were hiding more than I realized."

Naofumi felt his typical fear when being addressed as the Shield Hero. It was the same response no matter where he went. Judgement and disgust. But he steeled himself, not letting whatever Kiryu might say get to him.

Before he could speak freely, several zombies attempted to rush Naofumi. Not wanting to look vulnerable or weak, he made sure to lash back before Kiryu could step in. "Air Shield!" The magical shield materialized in front of him, pushing back against his foes and knocking them into some others.

"Is that a problem?" Naofumi finally asked, his brow hardening despite keeping his gaze forward.

That's why he was genuinely surprised when he heard a chuckle from Kiryu.

"Not particularly. If anything, I'd say this makes a lot of sense." Naofumi raised a brow, turning his head to look back at Kiryu.

 _What does he mean by that..?_

Naofumi quickly remembered where he was and turned back around, just in time to block a blade from slashing him. Before he could push back, he felt a hand grip his shoulder, his eyes trailing to the right to see Kiryu vaulting over him and slamming his foot into the zombie attempting to skewer the Shield Hero. He soon followed up with a powerful uppercut, sending the closest zombie flying backward over the others.

Naofumi looked at the gauntlets again before smirking at Kiryu. "Looks like I wasn't the only one hiding something."

"Maybe." Kiryu replied casually, the two going back to back once more. "But we can talk about that after. I'll buy you a drink when this is over."

Naofumi felt his body stiffen at the friendly gesture, but decided against answering. Instead, his focus shifted to a much larger of the zombie horde approaching, the monster armored across its body with black rusted metal.

"Think you can take this one?" Naofumi asked with Kiryu sparing a glance back. The zombie moved, swinging a mace down and attempting to smash Naofumi. If he could be thankful for anything, it was his high defense, blocking the attack without much problem as the mace grinded against his shield.

"Yeah."

Kiryu spun around Naofumi, going under the zombie's arm and slamming a fist directly into its chest plate. It was almost like the armor wasn't there, as Kiryu's fist punched a hole in it without issue. The zombie was sent sailing back, crashing heavily into the rest of the mob surrounding it.

 _This guy's a friggin' monster…_ Naofumi thought in astonishment. Raphtalia was getting stronger, he saw that, but this was something else.

"Master Naofumi!"

The Shield Hero blinked, looking up when he saw his slave flying through the air. She slashed through several zombies in one fell swoop, her blade lined with blood. Just behind her, a crowd of villagers were gathered, causing him to widen his eyes.

"Raphtalia! What are you and the villagers doing here?!" Naofumi asked, gritting his teeth anxiously.

"We saw you fighting with Kiryu and had to come back, Shield Hero! We'll help you!" A villager shouted, leading the others with pitchforks and makeshift weapons.

"You've all got families of your own to worry about! Get out of here!" Naofumi answered without thought, turning and blocking a sword before it could hurt him. Raphtalia rushed forward, cutting the zombie down like a knife through butter.

"He's right. It's nice of you all, but you'll just get in the way," He heard Kiryu behind him. "Get back and keep the people who can't fight safe!"

"B-But Kiryu-"

"Go!" Kiryu didn't give them room to argue, something Naofumi found himself grateful for. The people seemed to listen to him, slowly backing off. "Nugget! Go with them!"

"Pree~!" The bird crowed, trotting off to the villagers and standing by their side.

 _That's one smart bird. I need one of those._ Naofumi thought absently.

"Kiryu!" Naofumi heard another villager, a young man in a worn cloak.

"Julius! Is Melonie alright?!" Kiryu asked, turning his head slightly to look back at the man. Naofumi raised a brow, quickly dashing in front of him and putting his shield up to block some incoming attacks.

"Hey, is now really the time?!" Naofumi asked, gritting his teeth.

"She's fine, but… her condition…" Naofumi spared a glance at the villager, his voice sounding crestfallen. "S-She's not doing well…"

"The herbs are in Nugget's saddle! Get them and get the doctor! Now go!" Kiryu said before turning back toward Naofumi. He quickly lunged forward, smashing his fist into a zombie's head and knocking it clean off, almost in sync with Rapthalia as she cut down another just to Naofumi's left. "I'm sorry for the distraction. There was a reason I wasn't here from the start."

"Don't worry about it. You've made things easier for me so far," Naofumi dismissed, keeping his shield up as the three prepared to engage the horde again.

"I didn't think we'd meet like this again, Mister Kiryu. But it's nice to have you fight alongside us," Raphtalia said, smiling back at the man.

"Yeah…" Kiryu started before Naofumi noticed him do a double take. "Wait… You've… gotten bigger."

"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you're into lolis too," Naofumi sighed, his eyes trailing lazily to Kiryu.

"Lolis? What are you talking about, she's-"

"They're getting closer!" Raphtalia warned them, bringing their attention back forward. Naofumi immediately tossed the thought aside, quickly rushing forward to meet them head on. He met the largest of them, another bulking armored zombie, and blocked its left swing.

"Raphtalia!"

"Yes!" The demi-human jumped overhead, slashing down and splitting the zombie's head in half. Kiryu soon followed after, throwing a thunderous knee into a zombie on her left and barreling down some of the horde in his wake. Naofumi stayed close to his slave, covering her right and keeping her safe as she hacked away at more approaching monsters.

"Master!" Raphtalia called, ducking past his right and stabbing through another zombie like butter.

"On your left!" He heard Kiryu, the town defender lashing out with flaming gauntlets and burning several beasts with a crashing fist. Naofumi noticed several trying to crowd Kiryu, dashing forward and blocking any attempts to blindside him. Though he noticed the man spin around, likely as a reaction to their multiple foes.

"I'll defend you." Naofumi said without thought, biting his lip as he found himself putting a bit of trust in the man.

"Thanks." Kiryu returned that trust by sweeping the foes away from Naofumi with a roundhouse kick, knocking them away like ragdolls. "We'll keep the offense up."

Naofumi wondered if Kiryu might question why he wasn't technically fighting, but the man seemed to understand without being told. He swept away Naofumi's enemies opponents without hesitation, striking when most others might expect him to. But instead, much like Raphtalia, the two seemed to be in sync.

It was almost… refreshing to have someone else put so much trust between them.

 _Damn it. What deluded thoughts am I getting now?_

"Master Naofumi! Look above!" Naofumi broke his line of thoughts, following the girl's instruction. Far above their heads, a ball of red flame formed together. Naofumi narrowed his eyes for a moment before it suddenly started to shower down. Toward them.

"Raphtalia!" Naofumi called out, following his instinct and rushing to her side, raising his shield to protect them both. He spared a glance at Kiryu, his eyes widening in worry. "Kiryu! Get over-"

The magical arrows started to fall on top of them. Kiryu had raised his arms and blocked some of the barrage with his gauntlets as well as dancing around a good portion of it. Feeling some anxiety at watching him, Naofumi shifted the shape of his shield. "Shield Prison!"

The protective ball materialized around Kiryu, protecting him from harm as the arrows beat against it. Naofumi let out a small sigh of relief. Sure, Kiryu seemed tough enough to take it, but forcing him to weather the attack alone was cruel.

The attack soon stopped, the fire arrows beginning to halt after some time. Naofumi kept his guard up though, just in case, holding Raphtalia close.

"Looks like we burned them all away at once," Naofumi heard a haughty voice, his eyes trailing forward past his cape to see a band of knights enter the village. The captain he guessed, a knight with a handlebar mustache, spared a glance at him. "As expected, you're quite tough, _Shield Hero_. Looks like you're just fine."

Naofumi clicked his tongue, immediately understanding what happened. "So they didn't care that we were here, huh?"

Before he realized it, Raphtalia had burst out from under his cloak, rushing forward at the band of knights. Naofumi reached out toward her, widening his eyes. "Raphtalia!"

She had made to stab some mustached knight with her sword, only to be blocked by another knight before she could land the blow. Though to her credit, she had obviously scared the knight, Naofumi watching him recoil in fear.

"Did you do that knowing that Master Naofumi was here?!" Raphtalia demanded, glaring death past the knight who had defended against her attack. "Depending on your answer, I'll have your head!"

The knight blocking her attack narrowed his eyes back before looking at his fellow knights. "Draw your-"

But what happened next was a blur. None of them realized he had moved. Naofumi barely remembered that he had dropped the Shield Prison around him as well. Kiryu had dashed past the knights, and soon dug his bare fist into the face of the mustached knight with a thunderous crack. Naofumi felt his jaw drop, as did all those around.

None were able to react fast enough as Kiryu sent the knight tumbling back, landing with a thud on the ground. Though as Naofumi found his wits again, he noted that Kiryu was obviously holding back, and had taken the edge off his gauntlets. After all, the man had clearly knocked the head off of monsters up to this point.

Still, he immediately put the other knights on edge, the band quickly surrounding him and drawing their blades while a couple had stooped to their captain's side.

"Y-You bastard! How dare you..?!" The knight whimpered, holding his face in pain.

"S-Sir Kiryu!" A younger one of the knights called out, sounding distressed.

"You have the **balls** to ask that after raining fire down on us like that?" Kiryu said, his fist tightening at his side, barely even acknowledging the knights surrounding him. "We were doing fine without your help. And instead of coming into the village, you just try and shower us with fire like that? Either you're a coward, or a bastard."

"You son of a… You think you can strike and insult a royal knight like that?!" The man cried out in anger, having his men help him to his feet. "I'll have your head!"

"How can you call yourself a knight if you neglect the lives you're supposed to defend?!" Raphtalia snapped, stepping up next to Kiryu and gritting her teeth.

Naofumi had to bite his tongue. If he were being honest, watching Kiryu punch the smug knight brought him more satisfaction than he realized. But they had another problem to worry about. "Kiryu, Raphtalia. Drop it. And if I were you, I'd forget that little 'assault', 'royal knight'. We have much bigger problems to worry about after all."

"You think you have any right to speak against me as well?!" The mustached knight snarled, his hand still on his face.

"I mean, if you want to attack us that badly, then go ahead. Though I doubt you'd have much time to do that with those monsters feeding on you," Naofumi declared, a dark grin splitting across his face. The knights soon followed his gaze, giving a satisfying reaction as they noticed the newly gathered monsters approaching them from behind.

"D-Don't falter! Get into for-" the leader called to the others, hesitating as the largest zombie at the front raised its axe to strike him down. Naofumi decided to be 'charitable', quickly dashing forward and blocking the attack before it could cut the knight in half.

"If you don't want to die an 'honorable death', I'd suggest you get your shit together," Naofumi said. "Raphtalia!"

"Yes!" The demi-human hopped on the monster's arm, cutting it from chest to head and killing it cleanly. "Mister Kiryu!"

"On it," Kiryu hopped overhead, delivering a devastating drop kick to another large beast and sending it flying. He rolled back to his feet, falling in line with Raphtalia and Naofumi.

"We'll give you guys time. Get into formation while we handle this front." Naofumi suggested, holding his shield up. "Let's go!"

"Yes!" Raphtalia answered, though he didn't need Kiryu's word to know he was rushing forward with them. Naofumi took the brunt of several swords with his shield, watching as Raphtalia took the chance to swing her blade past him and cut the opposing monsters down. Kiryu followed up with a swift uppercut to another at Raphtalia's side, while Naofumi repositioned himself and shielded them from the back.

"Tch! Let's move out! We're going to where the other Heroes are fighting!" The mustached knight ordered, waving his sword for the others to follow.

 _What a surprise._ Naofumi thought, having not put much stock in them in the first place. He simply continued to move forward with Raphtalia and Kiryu, the three moving as a unit.

"Knights! Form up! Phalanx position around the Shield Hero!"

Naofumi hesitated for a moment, looking back out of the corner of his eye. The knight with the scar along his face seemed to have given that order, and was soon followed by a majority of knights surrounding him. They moved forward together, striking down some of the zombies and giving the three their support.

"Master Naofumi… the knights…" Raphtalia muttered, a smile spreading across her face.

"Heh." He heard Kiryu give a short chuckle, the thuggish looking man smirking. "I figured it was mostly that asshole."

Naofumi looked back at the knights again, watching them move forward while their former leader looked on with disdain before taking his leave. _What made them stay behind?_ He wondered, looking at each of them with a small sense of apprehension and distrust. Still, he decided to not dwell on it and accept their help. Even if it was in the name of their duty more than anything else.

And after close to half an hour of more fighting, the sky lost its dark hue and the sun illuminated the sky again. The Wave had finally ended.

* * *

Kiryu was tired. Had this day been spent only fighting the monsters of the Wave, it might not have been so bad. But ever since his and Nugget's journey began, they had seen little rest aside from what they forced themselves to get. They had ridden tirelessly back home and were only met with more action once they returned. It was appropriate to say that Kiryu had quite a long day.

He took a seat against a broken stone wall, his eyes scanning across the village. The damages done to Lute were substantial, but not beyond repair. The people were alive and for the most part, the houses had held. It wasn't going to be an immediate fix, but it was nothing that the village couldn't come back from. And Kiryu knew the people of Lute well enough that they would not waste a moment once the people were back on their feet.

He watched the people congregate back into the village, with the knights helping people guide those who needed it back to their homes. The remaining monsters were easy enough to wipe out, so there was no longer any worry to be had.

Kiryu's eyes then drifted up to the saviors of the village, Naofumi and Raphtalia. The Shield Hero stood off by himself, seemingly uninterested in what else was going on in the village. Raphtalia had done some rounds to make sure no monster was left, but now she stood by his side, looking somewhat crestfallen. At one point, Kiryu thought she was even shaking a bit. He understood, of course. She had killed many monsters that day. And remembering the words of Julius, he recalled that demi-human bodies matured rapidly with their level. So right now, Kiryu could be looking at a child in a young woman's body.

 _She fought hard… but that was still a lot for her to handle._

Kiryu pulled a cigarette out of his breast pocket, getting ready to light it before hesitating. He remembered that it was something only Naofumi would recognize and give Kiryu away. He quickly stuffed it away, not wanting to expose himself. Kiryu's initial opinion of Naofumi had changed, but it was still better safe than sorry.

"Hey." Kiryu's eyes trailed up to see Naofumi standing there, the Shield Hero watching him with a neutral frown. Raphtalia stood close by, a gentle smile on her lips.

"Hey." Kiryu greeted back, sitting up straighter to meet his eyes. "Is there something you needed?"

"The villagers here already gave their thanks, but… I feel like they didn't need to," Naofumi said, looking over his shoulder. "But since they gave it… I guess I owe you some thanks, too."

"Don't." Kiryu said, cutting him off. "It's because of you that so few were lost today. I was just late to the party."

"But you fought so hard, Mr. Kiryu! You-"

"If people had died because I was late, I wouldn't have forgiven myself," Kiryu admitted, shaking his head. "Even though I set out of town to save someone, it was still part of my job to make it back on time. So to both of you… for being here when I wasn't… I-"

"Kiryu! Kiryu!"

The three looked up, the young blond knight from before running up to the three of them.

"Hey, kid. What's wrong?" said Kiryu, pushing off the broken wall to stand up.

"I-It's Miss Melonie, sir! S-She's not looking good!"

Kiryu's eyes lit up in alarm, sparing a look at Naofumi from the side before dashing forward, running toward Julius and Melonie's home. The doctor had brought her back there once the fighting was over and told Kiryu they would be treating her for a while with the medicine they brought.

 _No. No! We couldn't have been too late! We made it back in time!_

Kiryu threw the door open as he entered the house, quickly rushing to her room. When he pushed the door open, he felt a pit begin to dig into his stomach.

Julius was weeping by Melonie's bedside. The doctor stood by quietly, hunched over next to Julius and rubbing his shoulder. And Melonie lay there, her face pale as a corpse. Sweat poured down her face, and her breathing was slow.

"Melonie…" Kiryu mumbled, his throat drying out as he slowly stepped forward.

"I… I'm sorry…" The doctor mumbled, his head bowed low. "The herbs… the medicine isn't working fast enough. If I had time to concoct something stronger, it might work, but… she doesn't have that kind of time…"

"Melonie… Melonie…" Julius whispered out, his tears staining the fabric of her bed.

"No… Damn it…" Kiryu fell to one knee, tears threatening at the edge of his eyes. "Damn it!" Kiryu slammed his fist into the ground, causing a crater to form under it. "I… I really was…"

"Hey. You're going to ruin the floor doing stuff like that."

Kiryu felt his shoulders tense up, looking back as a brow raised in disbelief. Naofumi stood there with Raphtalia close behind him.

"Naofumi..? What are you…"

"Where's the medicine you have, doctor? Do I need to make more?" Naofumi asked, walking past Kiryu. The doctor raised his head, staring at him in wonder.

"N-No, I… I have it right here…" The doctor said, holding it out to him. "B-But it won't work fast enough-"

"We'll see about that," Naofumi took the bottle, holding it up to the light. A sudden glow of magic surrounded it, causing Kiryu to widen his eyes. He watched as Naofumi went to Melonie's bedside opposite to Julius, the disgraced magician slowly looking up at him.

"Th-The Shield Hero..?"

"That's me. Hope you don't have a problem with that," Naofumi said, putting the flask to Melonie's lips and pouring it inside her mouth. As she ingested the whole bottle, her body illuminated with a sheen of light, causing the others to step back in shock. Slowly, or perhaps quickly, the color returned to Melonie's face. Her breathing evened out, and her eyes slowly began to open.

"Wh-What..?"

"Melonie! Oh, Melonie!" Julius cried out in relief, leaning down and hugging his bride to be's shoulders.

"Julius..? Wh-What happened?"

"I-It was… It was Kiryu and the Shield Hero! T-They saved you!" Julius cried out, his body trembling as he held her tight. "They saved you…"

"What… was that?" Kiryu mumbled, slowly standing up from the ground.

"Master Naofumi has an affinity for support and healing magic!" Raphtalia exclaimed, smiling ear to ear.

"I was able to bolster the strength of the potion and the speed that it works at," Naofumi explained, turning to Kiryu fully and crossing his arms. "She still needs rest, but whatever was wrong with her should be gone."

"You… You really…" Kiryu looked at Melonie and Julius, inhaling a shaky breath. "Thank you…"

"It's fine. Just… consider it payback for helping me out," Naofumi said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"No." Kiryu shook his head, causing Naofumi to raise a brow. He turned to Naofumi and straightened out before bowing low. "I owe you. I owe you so much after this. Thank you… from the bottom of my heart."

Kiryu lifted his head up, now seeing a stunned look on the Shield Hero's face. "I promise. I will pay you back for this debt one day. I swear."

Naofumi stared back at him, stunned speechless by Kiryu's genuine promise. Raphtalia beamed, smiling up at her master. Kiryu didn't wait for his response though, moving over to Melonie and Julius and leaning over them. Even Nugget made himself seen, chirping happily from the window outside their room after sticking his head through.

All the meanwhile, Naofumi stood by, watching them with a softened expression. Seeing their genuine happiness, the hardened hero could only sigh, feeling a gentle smile grace his lips once again that day.

* * *

Naofumi and Raphtalia sat outside of the house, Kiryu having told them to wait a moment before going. While the Shield Hero would like to pretend his good deed was nothing, the beaming eyes of Raphtalia were making it hard to ignore.

"It wasn't that big of a deal, Raphtalia…"

"It was, Master Naofumi! That meant a lot to them," Raphtalia encouraged him for the umpteenth time, causing him to sigh.

"Whatever… well, I guess having a guy like that in my debt isn't so bad," Naofumi stroked his chin in thought.

"Mr. Kiryu was very helpful today. Maybe he'll help us again if we ask," Raphtalia put a finger to her chin in thought.

"Maybe…" Naofumi mumbled, his eyes cast to the ground. _He didn't seem to mind that I'm the Shield Hero, but… still…_

His heart cautioned him against trust. Kiryu might have seemed genuine in his word, but so did _she._

"Thanks for waiting." The two looked back to see Kiryu walk out of the house, a smile ever present on his face.

"I'm guessing she's all good now?" Naofumi asked, standing from his seat.

"Yeah. Thanks to what you did, the worst thing for her right now is her hunger." Kiryu said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I won't forget that."

"I hope not. I'll be sure to put a favor to use," Naofumi smirked, feeling the need to act somewhat snide.

"Master Naofumi…" Raphtalia tugged on his cloak.

"Heh. Don't worry about it, Raphtalia," Kiryu reassured her, giving a smirk. "I'll be ready for whatever you ask."

 _Shit. At least give me a little something to hate you for._ Naofumi thought with some humor, his smirk morphing into a resting smile. But their moment was cut short as they heard the clanking of steel boots approach, the three looking down the road to see several knights approaching. Much to their chagrin, the mustached knight was among them, though Naofumi noted with some amusement the bandage on his nose.

"Well, looks like you didn't become monster feed. Make it out alright?" Naofumi asked, walking up to the knights with Raphtalia at his side, the demi-human glaring daggers at the royal knight.

"I didn't suffer any _real_ damage," The knight huffed defiantly. That was until Kiryu walked up next to Naofumi, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I'd say you came out lucky. It probably could have been worse."

The knight ground his teeth in frustration, but it was obvious his skin had begun to perspire from anxiety. Clearing his throat, the knight tried to act unfazed.

"Regardless of my _battle_ wounds… Shield Hero. The king recognizes your… _efforts_ during the Wave and summons you to the castle. A party is being held for the successful mission, and you will be rewarded for your aid." He said, causing a frown to form on Naofumi's lips.

 _Normally I'd just avoid some bullshit party like this from that piece of shit King, but… I still need money. I can't ignore that._ Naofumi tightened his fist at his side, giving a stiff nod.

"Fine. I'll come."

"Good," the knight groused before his eyes trailed to Kiryu and glared. "As for you, Kazuma Kiryu… you have also been… _invited_ to join in the festivities."

"What?" Kiryu said, raising a brow in wonder. "All I did was defend my village."

"The King wishes to recognize your strength despite the… scope of your efforts. This is a command from the King though, so do not think it is a request you can simply ignore." The mustached knight haughtily declared, trying to hold his chin up in the face of the man who had punched him.

 _I guess I get it, but… this seems suspicious._ Naofumi thought, sharing a glance with Kiryu. If his eyes were any indicator, he seemed to be of the same mind.

 _What does that trashy King want?_

 **To be continued…**

 **Thanks as always to chidoriprime for the help as beta!**

 **Alright, and that's where we'll call this chapter!**

 **Honestly, I was tempted to push this out and make it close to twice as long, the second half obviously being about the big dinner and fight that followed. But my beta will soon be going out of town, and so we decided that this was enough for one chapter. Sorry if it's a bit short, but I think we got everything we wanted across for this one. Naofumi and Kiryu make their meeting more official this time around, and they both are starting to understand each other quite a bit. I'm excited for things to kick off in the coming chapter!**

 **Well that aside, not much else to say but I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, please leave a follow, a favorite and a review if you'd be so kind! Thank you and have a good one! :)**


	6. The Kingdom's True Face

**Disclaimer: I own neither Rising of the Shield Hero or the Yakuza series.**

The Kingdom's True Face

"Tonight, we celebrate! Because of the Three Heroes' actions, the Wave was ended splendidly, and our people continue to thrive! To the Three Heroes!"

Cheers and drinks rose around the room, while Kiryu's eyes trailing across the hall. He stood by the window next to Naofumi, his back leaned against the wall and his arms crossed. Soft music played from the choir at the front, building a calm atmosphere as the royal hall became filled with chatter and praise. Many crowded around the other Heroes, whom Kiryu was now seeing for the first time.

The Sword Hero was a young man named Ren Amaki, another boy somewhat younger than him and Naofumi, though older than Itsuki. His disposition was quiet but not entirely unwelcoming to the people around him. Kiryu guessed he was somewhat a loner considering how short he kept his conversations with the guests. The Sword Hero likely preferred to keep to himself rather than be open with so many other people.

Motoyasu Kitamura, the Spear Hero, was the complete opposite in that regard. Kiryu could hear him boasting the moment they entered the hall, the blond young man surrounded by a group of young women. Kiryu easily guessed at what type of man he was, feeling a disappointed frown spread across his lips. Not that he had anything particular against womanizers or boisterous people, but that wasn't the type of person he was expecting to be some sort of Legendary Hero.

 _Though thinking about it, none of them are, really._ Kiryu's gaze trailed across the other Heroes, eyes narrowed slightly. Each one of them was young, and judging from their personalities, he doubted that any of them were young because they were de-aged like he was. But then again, he didn't know any of them well enough to judge. The one he knew most about was sitting next to him, and even that would be considered rather little.

"You should go and join the party. I'm sure some people would be interested to meet you," Naofumi said offhandedly, his eyes focused out the window.

"I'm not in much of a partying mood. At least not with these people," Kiryu shrugged, causing Naofumi to trail his eyes up to him. "I'd rather be back at Lute celebrating."

"Anywhere would be better than here," Naofumi let out a small huff, his eyes becoming half lidded as he looked across the crowd.

Kiryu was tempted to question whether it had something to do with what happened when Naofumi was summoned to this world, but remained silent. He had planned to talk to him about something like that over a drink rather than in a grand hall like this. That's if he could get the Shield Hero to return to Lute with him afterwards, of course.

"Yes! The battle was quite intense, but I stood my ground!" They heard a blustering voice, both looking up to see the mustached knight from before surrounded by a small crowd of people. "I did sustain an injury from this gorilla of a monster, but I didn't let that slow me down!"

"Ho~, did he now?" Naofumi trailed off, unimpressed.

"Well, he's not wrong about one thing. It certainly didn't keep him from running," Kiryu smirked, sparing a look at Naofumi. The Shield Hero gave him an amused smirk of his own, leaning his cheek in one hand.

"Master Naofumi! Mister Kiryu!" They heard Raphtalia approach, the demi-human smiling hopefully at her master. "The food here looks delicious! You should both really try some!"

"If you want to eat, feel free." Naofumi said, shifting his gaze back to the window in disinterest. "I'm not really hungry."

"But Master Naofumi…" Raphtalia mumbled, looking disappointed. She shot Kiryu a glance, almost as if asking for his help. Catching the hint, Kiryu pushed off the wall.

"Maybe a few plates wouldn't hurt. Might as well get something out of this deal," Kiryu shrugged, looking back at Naofumi.

"All I want is the reward afterward. They can keep everything else," Naofumi said bluntly. Raphtalia's shoulders slumped before looking back at the dessert table. She quickly rushed off, cutting into a piece of pie.

"Even if you don't want to, you could at least try a bit for Raphtalia." Kiryu said, causing the Shield Hero to look up at him in confusion. "She wants to celebrate the victory with you."

Naofumi's gaze fell to the floor, turning his head away from Kiryu. "That'd be impossible here… Besides, I can't…"

"Can't what?"

"... Nothing." Naofumi sighed, trying to sound disinterested again. "You should go and eat. Might as well get something out of it you said, right?"

Kiryu watched him for a moment longer before silently turning away, deciding to give Naofumi his desired space. It wasn't worth pressing the issue if Naofumi really couldn't relax around these people. All for good reason.

Wanting to at least get something, Kiryu moved over to one of the servants, taking a cup of wine off his platter. He watched the hall aimlessly. His eyes landed back on Raphtalia, the demi-human rushing back to her master with a plate of dessert. He could see the Shield Hero refusing her offer, but Raphtalia persisted, cutting into the pie and forcing it in front of his face. Kiryu couldn't stop a smirk as Naofumi gave in, accepting the piece of food. _She really does care a lot about him._

"Excuse me? Mister Kiryu?"

The Dragon of Dojima pulled his gaze away from the two, following the voice to a young woman standing close by. She was a young beauty with a dazzling smile that was complimented by her green eyes. She had long red hair in the back and wore a breast plate that didn't conceal her top half. Kiryu remembered seeing her around Motoyasu, patrolling the women who were attempting to get cozy with him while always keeping him at arm's length. This was the first time she was off on her own, now.

"Can I help you?" Kiryu asked, raising a brow.

"Why, yes. There's someone that would like to meet with you. Would you mind following me?" She asked, her voice sickly sweet. Kiryu half wondered if it was practiced, but didn't want to judge too quickly.

"I suppose. Who is it you want me to meet?" Kiryu asked, handing his drink off to a servant as the two walked through the hall.

"I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise!" She dismissed, batting the question away with a friendly smile.

"If you say so…" _Seems like a little too much secrecy over a 'meeting'._ Kiryu didn't make his concerns known, simply following in silence.

"I heard of your deeds in Lute Village. It was very brave of you to fight so many monsters alone," The young girl said, the two soon approaching a staircase leading to the upper level.

"Thanks, but it wasn't just me. The Shield Hero-"

"Now, don't be so modest! I heard you single-handedly fought back the Wave hordes!" The girl pushed, falling in line next to him and wrapping around his arm. "The Weaponless Hero they call you. How impressive."

Kiryu raised a brow in wonder, not allowing the young woman's charm distract him. "No, it's like I said before, it wasn't just me fighting. The Shield Hero and his… partner helped save Lute as well."

The girl's eyes widened, and her grip around his arm immediately loosened. Her eyes suddenly slackened, looking at Kiryu in disappointment. "A real man shouldn't let small details get in his way, you know."

"Excuse me?" Kiryu stopped for a moment, eyes narrowing back at the young woman. She stared back at him for a moment before letting her previous smile returned.

"Oh nothing~! I was only making a joke, don't fret!" She giggled, her act so good that Kiryu half believed it. "Come on! Just a bit further."

Kiryu watched the young woman continue up the stairs, notably without waiting for him. _Something's up with that girl…_ he thought, but again kept it to himself. He slowly followed after, climbing the stairs until he reached the top. Once there, Kiryu felt his eyes widened when he saw none other than the king waiting for him.

"I've brought him, your Highness." The girl said, giving the king a kind smile.

"Thank you, Myne. You may proceed with your part downstairs, now," the King said, nodding toward the young woman. The now named Myne gave a strangely dark smile before bowing, turning around and giving Kiryu a wink and heading back down the stairs.

Kiryu watched her in wonder for a moment before turning back to the King. He was an elderly man that was much like Kiryu had imagined someone in his position would look like. He had a square jaw, grayed hair and beard, and a crown on his head, with a purple robe draped over his shoulders. Harken's description of the king wasn't far off, though it was mostly filled with him taking shots at the old man's appearance.

"So you're Kazuma Kiryu, the Weaponless Hero. You certainly look like quite the warrior," the King smiled in interest, stroking his beard.

"Yes. It's an honor to meet you directly, your Highness," Kiryu said, bowing low. Despite Harken's remarks about the old man, the mage remembered to tell Kiryu that he should still treat him with respect for his position. Mostly to avoid any unnecessary conflicts or trouble.

"Rise. I simply wished to speak with an honored guest on even ground," the King chuckled, Kiryu slowly rising from his bow. "I've heard that your efforts today were not your first valiant act for Lute Village, correct?"

"I suppose so. Lute happened to be under attack from bandits while I… happened to be passing through."

"I see. And what did you do before you settled down into Lute Village?" The King inquired further.

"Just a traveler. I would take odd jobs to get by." Kiryu said, having gone over his backstory with Harken many times before in his first month of living there. "Lute Village ended up becoming a place to settle into, though."

"I see. Strange that I've never heard of such a talented warrior beforehand, as you became quite renowned for the act."

"I've always trained to be prepared for a fight, but I never looked for one," Kiryu said, crossing his arms. "I only took small adventure quests before that, and usually nothing too dangerous."

"Very interesting. I suppose it's good that you decided to change that for Lute Village, hm?" The King let out a hearty laugh, likely trying to play as the old soul who means no harm. But Kiryu had heard far too much from Harken to believe it for a second.

"I do what I can, at least. Now, if you'll excuse me your Highness, would it be alright if I returned to the celebration?" Kiryu asked, trying to sound as polite as possible. "I haven't been able to get much from it yet."

"Ah, no need to be in a rush, young man. There will be plenty left for you," the King denied him, taking steps toward Kiryu and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. The former yakuza didn't miss the ever watchful eyes of the knights surrounding them. "There was another reason behind my asking for you. Would you hear me out?"

"... Of course, your Highness." Kiryu said, allowing the king to gently pull him forward.

"You see, I heard quite a bit about the actions you took to save Lute from the horde attacking it. All quite impressive, of course."

Kiryu knew where this was going, and decided to test the waters. "I'm thankful for the praise, but it wasn't just me. It was the Shield Hero and his partner, as well."

"His _slave_ , you mean?" The King declared, his voice becoming grave for a moment. His smile was gone, replaced with a firm frown and a furrowed brow. "Or did he not tell you?"

"... I was aware that she's his slave," Kiryu said, causing the King to raise a brow. "I'm against slavery, but their dynamic is… different. She cares about him, and it shows."

"Oh, Mister Kiryu. Aren't you aware? Slaves are branded with a magic crest. One that forces them to do the bidding of their master and bend their mind to them." The King explained, shaking his head. "I was positive you would have known that much."

Kiryu's eyes narrowed at the King in scrutiny. It was true that slaves in this world bore magical crests, but this was the first time he ever heard that they manipulated the slave's minds. It certainly didn't work with Nugget's first master if that were true. And Raphtalia's display of affection for Naofumi all seemed genuine and heartfelt. Kiryu doubted that, even if the King's words were somehow true, that it would make Raphtalia seem so genuine in her defense of Naofumi.

 _What exactly is he trying to do?_

"I see… so?" Kiryu asked, deciding to cut to the chase. The King's grip on his shoulder became firm, and the rising smile on his face reeked of suspicion.

" _So,_ it would not serve well to give such a deplorable man credit for things wholly undeserving of, don't you agree?"

"What?" Kiryu's voice had an edge to it this time. Enough so that the knights surrounding them seemed to edge closer. The King held up a hand, making them stop.

"Lute Village is a humble piece of land, but it does well for itself, wouldn't you say?" The King began, his tune suddenly changing. "The lord there is a passable man, but was merely placed in charge of it. As King… I might feel generous enough to a great warrior for his deeds. Only if those deeds are spread to be his _own._ "

 _Now he's trying to bribe me? With Lute Village, even?_ Kiryu couldn't help but stare at the King in wonder. "What do you get from this, your Highness? What does defaming Naofumi get you?"

"I do not want the people thinking him anything but the _scoundrel_ that he is." The King declared, his brow darkening. Kiryu could sense the intensity coming from the King. He had something personal against Naofumi, though what it was remained unclear.

What wasn't unclear was what Kiryu would do.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty. But I'll have to pass."

"Wh-What?" The King flinched, his hand leaving Kiryu's shoulder as shock overcame him.

"The Shield Hero did more than just help my village today. I owe him a great debt." Kiryu declared, turning his back to the King and beginning to walk away.

"Have you not heard of the terrible crimes he committed?! You would still support such a man?!" The King snarled, his knights moving in line next to him.

"I heard that he was 'accused'. But I didn't hear anything about a trial," Kiryu said, looking back over his shoulder with his eyes narrowed. "He was just blamed and thrown out. Something about that whole situation reeked to me. Sorry, but I'm not interested in whatever you're planning."

"Wait!" The King ordered, causing Kiryu to keep his gaze on him. "Despite your _efforts_ today, perhaps you forget a transgression as well?"

"Excuse me?" Kiryu turned fully around, his hands balling into fists at his side. The knights immediately pointed their spears at him.

"I heard you dared to strike one of our royal knights. All while he was protecting your village," The King declared, pointing a finger.

"He launched a barrage of fire and arrows down on me and the Shield Hero's party, knowing full well we were in there," Kiryu retorted, standing his ground.

"Regardless of your reason, an assault on a royal knight could have you locked up for quite a long time, _Weaponless Hero_. But I'm willing to look over such transgressions… for your cooperation." The King smiled sinisterly.

Kiryu's fist tightened, half ready to lash out at the king and his guard. "Just how far are you willing to go?" He whispered, their eyes locked in a glare. They stared one another down in tense silence, the knights stiff as they kept their defensive position next to the king. The atmosphere was thick enough to take a pin to as Kiryu debated on his next action. Because there was no scenario in his mind in which he would turn on Naofumi and Raphtalia.

"Naofumi! Fight me in a duel!"

The tense atmosphere didn't disappear, but their attention was drawn away by the loud proclamation. Kiryu spared a look over his shoulder from the balcony before his eyes darted back to the King, who was smiling in a far too satisfied way.

"It looks like things have already started. Shall we go and see?" The King offered, walking forward The knights seemed to relax somewhat while Kiryu cautiously followed after the King. Overlooking the great hall, a crowd had gathered around Naofumi and Raphtalia, with Motoyasu pointing his spear at the Shield Hero.

* * *

"If I win, you will free Raphtalia!" Motoyasu ordered. Only for Naofumi to counter with indifference.

"And if I win?"

"There's no chance you will!"

"But if I _do?_ "

Motoyasu clicked his tongue, looking unsure. "Then… things will remain the same."

 _What an idiot._

"How stupid. I don't have anything to gain from this, then," Naofumi scoffed, turning his back to Motoyasu. "Let's go, Raphtalia."

"Y-Yes!" The demi-human quickly shuffled behind him.

 _I'm not taking anymore of their bullshit. Not again._ Naofumi's brow hardened, hoping to make it to the exit quickly. He was quickly cut off by a knight as a spear blocked his path.

"I heard everything! To think that a Hero would be so low as to use a demi-human as his slave! You are nothing but reprehensible!" The annoying voice of the trashy king filled Naofumi's ears, causing him to grit his teeth as he brought his gaze up to him. But much to his shock, Kiryu was standing next to him. Naofumi felt his teeth grit and his gut drop.

 _So he's with_ that bastard _too?! I should have known!_ Naofumi felt his fist shake at his side. _He was just acting this whole time too! I should have_ _ **fucking known**_ _!_

"I order you! Accept the challenge!" The King continued, momentarily bringing Naofumi's attention away from Kiryu.

"T-There's no need for this!" Raphtalia began, stepping forward. "I'm with Master Naofumi of my own free will! I wish to-"

Naofumi felt his breath hitch when he saw a knight wrapped his hand around her mouth, pulling her away from him. "Hey! Let go of her!" Two more knights blocked his path, keeping their spears across his chest.

"You poor creature. You've been forced by that crest to defend him, have you not?" The King continued, his voice in no way convincing Naofumi that there was an ounce of sympathy. "Do not worry. Once lord Motoyasu wins, you will be released from your curse."

"Stop it! Let her go!" Naofumi snarled, stepping past the knights.

"Draw swords!" Immediately, every knight in the room drew their blades, pointing it at Naofumi. The Shield Hero ground his teeth hard, looking around as he once again felt trapped in this hellhole of a palace.

"Heed my order. Or I shall take her from you by force!" The King demanded. Naofumi kept his eyes on Raphtalia, but soon switched his gaze to Motoyasu as the Spear Hero walked up next to her with a cocky grin.

"There's no running from this now, you coward."

"You're scum, Motoyasu!" Naofumi snapped, catching the Spear Hero off-guard momentarily. "I'll beat you and take Raphtalia back!"

"And how do you plan to do that, exactly?"

Naofumi felt the hairs on his neck stand up on end. His body trembled with rage as he saw Myne make herself known, standing at the top of the steps with a hand on her hip, smiling cruelly down at him. "Without your slave, I can't help but wonder how you could even dream of winning."

Naofumi bit his tongue hard enough for blood to leak out. The hall of lords and ladies filled with taunting laughter, all at his expense. All at the cruelty of this kingdom bearing down on him. And once again, Naofumi felt very alone.

But before he could retort, Naofumi's eyes widened when he saw Kiryu land on the steps in front of him, causing him and the surrounding people to recoil in surprise.

"Kiryu?" Naofumi blinked, staring at the thuggish man's back in shock.

"W-Who are you?!" Motoyasu demanded, everyone watching as Kiryu stood at full length.

"Kiryu-san?" Naofumi heard Itsuki's voice from the crowd of onlookers.

"I listened to this whole act long enough. Sorry for not speaking up sooner…" Kiryu turned his head back, speaking directly to Naofumi.

 _Wh-What? But I thought…_

"What do you think you're doing?!" The King snarled, leaning over the ledge as he glared down at Kiryu.

"Paying back my debt, your Majesty. To the man who saved Lute Village from being ravaged by the Wave." Kiryu's voice increased in volume as he said that, loud enough so that the entire hall could hear it.

"You cur…" The King hissed.

 _Wh-What is he doing?_ Naofumi could barely process Kiryu's actions.

"What are you talking about? I was told he just went to the village to hide," Motoyasu huffed, crossing his arms.

"Whoever told you that, lied. He showed up to Lute Village when it had no one else." Kiryu dismissed, taking a step up the stairs toward Motoyasu. "I was supposed to be there, but was running late due to some circumstances. I was afraid that the worst had happened, and it almost did. The Wave was focused near Lute Village. But rather than come home to a bloodbath, the Shield Hero was there protecting it."

Whispers broke out across the hall, most of them doubtful while some seemed suspicious. Naofumi spared a look around, feeling as if he was no longer cornered. He looked at Myne and the King's faces, both furious as they glared daggers at Kiryu. He suddenly processed what was happening, quickly reaching out and grabbing Kiryu's shoulder.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Naofumi hissed, trying to pull him back. "You're going to make this a lot harder on yourself if you keep going!"

Kiryu simply spared a look back at Naofumi, his expression resolute. "I'd rather do that than turn on a man who earned my respect."

Naofumi stiffened, his hand loosening on Kiryu's shoulder. _He… He's really…_

"And because of his noble actions today…" Kiryu's voice raised again, his gaze going back to Motoyasu. "I'd like to fight in his place."

"What?!" Naofumi exclaimed without thought.

"You would fight for that criminal?!" Motoyasu snapped, pointing his spear at Kiryu. "Regardless of who he's saved today, he's committed terrible crimes!"

"You have to be some kind of special idiot at this point to believe that." Naofumi would have laughed had the situation not been so tense.

"What did you say?!" Motoyasu huffed, gritting his teeth in frustration.

"You have no place in this conflict! The duel was issued to the Shield Hero, not you!" Myne spoke up this time, pointing her index finger. Kiryu was silent for a single moment, making Naofumi half wonder if this big intervention of his was for nothing.

"You call yourself a Hero, right?" Kiryu spoke again, focusing back on Motoyasu. "Are you really okay with a fight like this?"

'What are you talking about? I'm doing it to free Raphtalia-chan!" Motoyasu spoke with that arrogant confidence, holding his chin high.

"But you're picking on the one Hero who can't fight back. If you're as righteous as you think you are, shouldn't the Shield Hero be allowed to have someone fight in his stead?"

 _This sly bastard…_ Naofumi felt his jaw slack for a moment. He shifted his gaze back up to Motoyasu, seeing his teeth clench as a conflicted expression came over him.

"You've said enough here!" The King began, looking around at his men. "Knights! Seize him, and-"

"No!" Shockingly enough, it was Motoyasu who spoke up. The dumb blond Hero slammed the bottom of his spear into the steps, staring back down at Kiryu. "He's right. I won't be told I was 'bullying' the Shield Hero! If you want to fight in this coward's place so badly, I'll take you on then!"

Naofumi still struggled to understand the man standing in his defense, staring down Motoyasu like nothing. He then shifted his gaze to the King who, satisfyingly enough, looked completely frustrated by the turn of events. The trashy old man soon calmed himself though, clearing his throat and looking on with a more reserved expression.

"Very well. If the Lord Motoyasu accepts this duel, I cannot argue. It is not as if you would be capable of beating the Spear Hero, anyway. We will take this to the courtyard."

… _Shit, he's right._ Naofumi suddenly felt concern for Kiryu, realizing that, despite his strength, he was still tackling Motoyasu. As the hall began to clear and the knights tried to force them both forward, Naofumi grabbed Kiryu's shoulder again.

"You know that he's a Hero, right?! He's a moron, but this is a lot bigger than just some low-level monsters! Why would you do this?!" Naofumi demanded, feeling his distrust bubble up along with his concern. "You barely know me!"

Kiryu stared at Naofumi for a moment, his eyes conveying little of his emotion. "I know enough. You fought for Lute when it needed you. I'm going to fight for you now."

"I-I didn't do it for them!" Naofumi pushed, unable to let the argument drop. "You don't have to do this!"

"I don't. But I will. And I'll make sure that Raphtalia goes back to you." Kiryu said, his words disarming Naofumi. He could only stare dumbly at Kiryu, watching as the man slowly turned away and moved with the crowd. Naofumi was eventually forced forward by a knight, though he paid them little mind.

 _What's… with this guy?_

* * *

Kiryu stood with Naofumi, the two waiting for the herald to finish the introductory speech to the fight inside of a small armory. Not that Kiryu spared the weapons surrounding them a real look. He guessed that they were placed there to taunt Naofumi. It was either a convenient armory to place them in or this whole debacle was planned from the start. Neither Naofumi or Kiryu would put it past being the latter at this point.

"Are you going to use a weapon? I only saw you fight with those gauntlets before," Naofumi asked curiously.

"I know how to use a few weapons, but…" Kiryu let the gauntlets expand over his forearms before reaching out toward one of the swords. His hand was immediately rejected, with a HUD showing up and warning him against such an idea. "Doesn't seem like I have that freedom."

"Wait… you have that kind of limit on you too?" Naofumi blinked in wonder. "But-"

The doors were soon drawn open, alerting the two to come out. Kiryu gave Naofumi a small nod before walking ahead of him, his hands tightening into fists. Naofumi trailed behind him, their eyes trailing to the knights lining the hallway. As they reached the courtyard, they soon saw a large open ground for the fight, with a gallery of spectators in the surrounding terrace. Both Kiryu and Naofumi grimaced when they saw Raphtalia, tied up and gagged in a throne chair at the opposite side of the courtyard.

"This battle will be observed by both King Aultcray of Melromarc and the Pope! Signifying that this battle is both legitimate and official!" The herald announced to the crowd.

"Good luck, Lord Motoyasu~!" They heard from across the courtyard, seeing Myne standing close to the walls.

"Is that the girl?" Kiryu asked, sparing a look back at Naofumi.

The Shield Hero seemed to understand immediately, his expression darkening as he cast his gaze to the ground. "Yeah."

"Hm. Guess my initial impression of her was right." Kiryu said offhandedly while Naofumi hung back. "I'll finish this up quick."

"H-Hey!" Naofumi called out, causing Kiryu to look back at him for a moment. Whatever the Shield Hero might have said died in his throat.

"... Nevermind."

Kiryu nodded, walking back toward the center of the courtyard. Motoyasu was standing there waiting, giving Kiryu a stern look.

"I heard that you were a noble warrior before. One who defended a village from being completely pillaged," Motoyasu began, resting the spear on his shoulder. "You should give up now and stop wasting your time defending a guy like that."

"I get the feeling you didn't give him much chance the first time around." Kiryu said, slowly getting into his fighting stance. "Maybe if you had, this whole situation could have been avoided."

Motoyasu clicked his tongue, swinging his spear around and wielding it with two hands. "Don't say I didn't give you a chance!"

"Begin!"

 **(Yakuza 6 OST: Bloodstained Philosophy)**

 **Legendary Hero of the Spear**

 _ **Motoyasu Kitamura**_

Motoyasu didn't waste a second, charging headfirst at Kiryu and lunging his spear directly at his shoulder. Kiryu simply sidestepped the blow, watching Motoyasu carefully as he continued his charge with several spinning lunges. Kiryu deflected several blows with his gauntlets, narrowing his eyes as he watched the young man's movements closely.

 _This kid… is he…_ Kiryu slipped past his onslaught with a quickstep, bringing his fist around to catch Motoyasu with a haymaker. An experienced spear or staff user would simply maneuver the staff in such a way that it could block an obvious punch like that, something Kiryu intended for to test his theory.

When his punch connected, Kiryu was proven right.

 _He doesn't know how to really use a spear._

A shocked gasp filled the arena, the spectators watching as Motoyasu stumbled back with a hand on his face. "Wh-What the hell?!"

"You weren't seriously expecting to end it that quick, were you?" Kiryu asked, eyes narrowing as he watched Motoyasu rub his nose. "You've still got a lot to learn, kid."

"Tch! I'll show you!" Motoyasu snarled, shifting the head of his spear into a three pronged blade. It then illuminated blue, the Spear Hero charging him again. "Chaos Spear!" He attacked Kiryu with a jabbing barrage, magic projectiles like needles firing out on top of it.

Kiryu responded by shifting into Beast Stance and putting his guard up, orange sparks surrounding his gauntlets. He barely felt the needles as they harmlessly slammed into his upper body. The most it did was put a few cuts into his clothes, though the gauntlets took the majority of the damage. Once the attack ceased, Motoyasu couldn't help but gawk, watching as Kiryu came out relatively unharmed from the attack. He lowered his arms, and purple soon replaced orange.

If there was any joke that Motoyasu might have made toward the shift in color tone, it was cut off when Kiryu dashed directly in front of him, a fist smashing directly into his jaw. The Spear Hero was durable though, more so than the bandits or the monsters he usually faced, so it wasn't the end of the fight. Though, as his lower jaw was throbbing in pain, part of Motoyasu wished that it were.

He responded by swinging his spear back around, attempting to swipe at Kiryu's upper body and give himself room. Kiryu answered by bobbing under the swipe, getting even closer and beginning to whip out several harsh body shots on his opponent. Motoyasu felt the breath in his lungs leave him in an instant, his body denting with each punch Kiryu landed. With a quick step back, Kiryu finished his onslaught with a high roundhouse kick, sending Motoyasu into the ground with a powerful thud.

Murmurs broke out across the arena, Kiryu sparing a short look around. Myne was watching from the sidelines, her jaw slack and eyes wide. Looking back, Kiryu could see a somewhat similar expression on Naofumi's face, though the Shield Hero had a small but excited smile on his face. He then spared a look up at the King, whose frustration compounded as he looked down upon the duel.

"Y-You… wretch…" Kiryu's attention went back to the Spear Hero who was barely recovering.

"You at least had the idea of staying at a distance, but you still don't know how to use that spear very well." Kiryu said, standing over Motoyasu as he slowly began to rise to his feet. "Your offense is okay, but your defense is lacking. If you let an enemy get that close to you who knows what they're doing, you're done for."

"Wh-What do you know..?" Motoyasu huffed in defiance, causing Kiryu to sigh.

"You really are just a kid. Your head is in the clouds. It takes more than a fancy weapon to make a hero, especially if you don't know how to use it. So are we done here?" Kiryu asked, having the courtesy to wait for Motoyasu to stand.

"N-Not a chance! I can beat you… a hero doesn't give up…" Motoyasu snapped back, leaning on his spear to raise himself to his feet.

"If you say so. If you're really prepared to keep going, then I won't stop either." Kiryu said, taking a fighting stance again. Motoyasu grit his teeth before straightening out and pointing his spear head of the spear shifted again, this time taking shape as a two pronged flaming spearhead.

"I'll whittle you down if I have to!" Motoyasu declared, dashing forward again. Kiryu narrowed his eyes, flexing his hands and shifting their appearance. Ice and fog covered his newly formed gauntlets, causing Motoyasu to widen his eyes.

"He can shift his gauntlets? But…" Motoyasu bit his bottom lip but kept pushing forward, letting out a battle cry as he hopped high into the air and stabbed down at Kiryu. The Dragon of Dojima stepped back out of the way, but was surprised when the flames from the spear exploded outward, causing a small area of effect attack that splashed flames across Kiryu's front. He raised his arms and blocked the wave, only burning up some of his clothing but not terribly.

Motoyasu too this as his chance though, swinging his spear up and hoping to skewer Kiryu through the gut. But Kiryu predicted the move, quickly using his left hand to grab the shaft of the spear before it could connect. Not wasting a moment, Kiryu pulled the spear forward, Motoyasu staggering forward with it before Kiryu brought his right hand up and smashed his palm into Motoyasu's sternum. Ice began to form around his chest, making it somewhat difficult to move.

"Wh-What?!"

"The more I hit someone with my ice gauntlets, the more the frost will build up." Kiryu warned, standing over Motoyasu again. "If you don't want to be turned into an icicle, give up now. You can't win."

"I-I refuse!" Motoyasu snarled, causing Kiryu to sigh.

"I'll at least acknowledge your commitment. Fine, if that's what you want…" Kiryu cocked his arm back, getting ready to lash out with a powerful punch. Motoyasu flinched in fear, holding his spear up in a lame attempt to block.

But before he could, Kiryu felt himself being lifted off his feet, a sudden blast of magical wind smashing into his side. Kiryu flew several meters before landing on the ground, rolling to one knee as he caught himself before he could land too far. His eyes immediately went to Myne, the red haired girl glaring as she held up a hand covered in a magical aura.

"You…" Kiryu muttered, slowly standing to his feet and getting ready to approach her as a fire burned in his eyes.

"You're wide open!" Kiryu snapped his head back to Motoyasu, the Spear Hero shifting the head of his spear again. A bolt of lightning crackled from the end as he raised his spear up, reaching into the sky. "Lightning Spear!"

Kiryu grit his teeth, raising his arms and shifting his gauntlets to the diamond gauntlets, bolstering his defenses the best he could. He had no doubt that this would be one move he couldn't tank as easily.

But just as Motoyasu took aim, Kiryu widened his eyes when he saw Naofumi dash in front of him, his shield raised in defense. "Wait, Naofumi! Get out of-"

 ***KRAKOOM***

Kiryu and Naofumi grit their teeth as the blast engulfed them, Naofumi letting out a cry of pain as he took the brunt of it with his shield. Kiryu was only damaged somewhat by the attack, knowing full well that it was only thanks to Naofumi. He quickly grabbed the Shield Hero's shoulders. "Naofumi! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine…" Naofumi answered, gritting his teeth in pain.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing, Naofumi?! Interrupting our match like that?!" Motoyasu demanded, pointing his spear at him.

"You're asking me..?" Naofumi ground out in annoyance before glaring Myne's way. "What about her?! She attacked Kiryu and you're just going to act like nothing happened?!"

"What are you talking about?! Myne didn't move an inch," Motoyasu huffed, genuinely ignorant to the woman's interference. "Stop trying to make excuses for him!"

"He's right. Everyone in this arena should have seen it!" Kiryu snapped, walking up next to Naofumi. "This was supposed to be a one on one match, wasn't it?!"

"All I saw was you stumble. I'm pretty sure you were just overexerting yourself before and it finally took its toll on you," Motoyasu said, continuing in his doubt.

"That's bullshit! You all saw it, didn't you?!" Naofumi snapped, his eyes shooting to the spectators. But he was answered with a deaf silence, soon causing Kiryu to look around in mounting unease as well. Not a single soul spoke up, and all eyes quickly averted from them as they searched around the arena. The only one who seemed to protest was Raphtalia, but was obviously ignored as she thrashed in her chair.

"What the hell is going on...?" Kiryu muttered, his hand balling into a fist at his side.

"Now, now. Making excuses for the Shield Hero's intervention will not help you now," Kiryu grit his teeth, he and Naofumi watching as the King and a host of soldiers walked across the field toward them. "This match is given to the Spear Hero due to the interference of the Shield Hero. The slave shall be set free of her curse."

Naofumi trembled in anger, looking back at Motoyasu as he strode forward like a peacock. Kiryu focused his furious gaze on the King, beginning to fully understand why Harken despised him so much.

"You…" Kiryu took a step forward, only for Naofumi to place a hand on his chest.

"Don't… It won't get you anywhere…" Naofumi muttered. Kiryu might have ignored his warning had he not heard the despair in his voice, causing him to hesitate. "These people… they're nothing but trash…"

"What a shame, Shield Hero. I guess you'll be down a slave from now on, hm?" They heard Myne speak, the red haired bimbo giving them the smuggest of smiles. "I imagine it's going to be hard fighting all by yourself." She broke out into a cruel laugh, causing Naofumi's expression to sink lower.

"Where do you get **off?!"** Kiryu snarled, only for Myne to let out a fake shrill cry before running to Motoyasu.

"Help me, Lord Motoyasu~! This brute is being so mean~!" She said, hugging him close. All the while giving that same smug smile.

"Hey! I thought you might be better than the Shield Hero, at least! No need to be a sore loser!" Motoyasu said, hugging Myne closely in protection. "If you wanna complain to anyone, complain to Naofumi for messing things up!"

"Not that it would have made a difference. You would have swiftly defeated him otherwise," the King chuckled as he approached Motoyasu. "You fought valiantly. I knew that my daughter made the right choice when she decided to join your party."

"What?" Naofumi said as he snapped his eyes up to them. Only to see Myne walk up to the King directly.

"Of course, Papa. I've always been a good judge of character," Myne giggled.

"It's still shocking to know you were the princess this whole time. Why'd you go by Myne anyway, Malty?" Motoyasu asked, smiling down at her.

" **That's** the princess?" Kiryu muttered, remembering Harken's words on her.

"This whole thing… from the beginning…" Naofumi's voice shook as anger and despair laced his words. "It was all just a damn **set up?!"**

Kiryu looked back at Naofumi, but hesitated when he saw a dark aura surrounding his shield and a distinct red light stem at the center of its jewel. He suddenly felt a racking pain in his arms, looking down at his gauntlets as the light from his own jewel began flicker, almost as if in alert. _What's happening?_

"The demi-human who was enslaved by the cowardly Shield Hero will now be set free!" Naofumi tensed up, his eyes soon shooting over to where Raphtalia was being held. The demi-human was already brought down from her holding place, several knights gathered around as a mage started to undo her crest.

"Wait, please!" Naofumi almost begged, reaching out toward Raphtalia in desperation.

"You didn't win that fight, Motoyasu!" Kiryu took another step forward in frustration. "Are you really going to accept this?!"

"I'm simply fighting to free a young woman from her captor. You're the one who's defending that coward!" Motoyasu huffed, turning his back to Kiryu and moving over with Malty toward Raphtalia.

"You're so right, Lord Motoyasu. Now let's give this poor girl her freedom."

Naofumi sunk to the ground, falling on his knees and shaking. "Damn it… damn it… DAMN IT!" He cried out, slamming his shield into the ground. "How much are you people going to take from me?! I didn't even asked to be summoned in the first place!"

"Naofumi…" Kiryu turned back to him, reaching a hand out to help him up.

"Don't! Just leave me!" Naofumi snapped, causing Kiryu to hesitate. "I'm… I'm done with this place! I'm done with this shield! I hate this! I hate it all! I hate **everyone**!"

The gem on Naofumi's shield ignited with a red light again, once more causing Kiryu to groan in pain as his gauntlets began to stress their own energy. He grit his teeth, looking up at Naofumi and wondering what was happening.

"Naofumi... " Kiryu gripped his gauntlets as he struggled through the pain.

"Why do we even need that scoundrel of a Shield Hero?"

"Yes, he's just a waste! We've got the other Three Heroes, we don't need him!"

 _These people…_ Kiryu could hear the jeers of the spectators, taunting laughter and words being thrown around.

"Yes, he should be executed!"

"Put him out of his misery!"

"Yeah, execute-"

" **SHUT THE HELL UP!"**

Kiryu's voice echoed through the hall, immediately causing silence to fall across the courtyard. He stood at full length, ignoring the pain raking his arms. He imagined that the pain was being caused by Naofumi's emotional state, and these people were only adding to his pain. Kiryu was done listening to the prattle of sheep.

"You all have the _balls_ to taunt him after what you just watched?!" Kiryu demanded, his eyes darting to specific voices. His fierce glare trailed across the audience, causing several to quiver under his gaze.

"He's right!" He heard Raphtalia's voice, the raccoon girl pushing past her 'savior' Motoyasu and walking toward Kiryu and Naofumi. "None of you understand what he's been through! What he's done for me and those around him! How can you call yourselves Nobles!"

"B-But you were his slave! He was forcing you to fight!" Motoyasu argued. "No one should be forced to-"

"Master Naofumi can't fight on his own! I am his sword, and he defends me with his shield! He fed me and gave me medicine when I was sick. When we fight, he gives me time to rest. He's a good person, but you all treat him like garbage!" Raphtalia exclaimed, pointing a finger at Motoyasu. "If you were capable of the kindness he was, you would have saved a slave and added them to your party!"

Motoyasu swallowed a lump in his throat, stunned by the girl's words. Raphtalia turned her back to him, walking over to Kiryu. She took his hand and gave him an earnest smile. "You've been the only one to give Master Naofumi a chance. Thank you for fighting for him, even in the middle of all this."

"Only because you couldn't at the time," Kiryu smirked, thankful that the pain was fading. "But…" He looked back at Naofumi, the Shield Hero still sunken into the ground. Raphtalia nodded numbly, moving ahead of Kiryu and walking up to her now former master.

"Master Naofumi…"

"I'm not your master anymore…" He mumbled, his head still bowed low as he refused to look at her. "You're free now. So get lost."

"Master-"

" **STAY AWAY!"**

Kiryu and Raphtalia frowned deeper as Naofumi tried to crawl away from them, his whole body trembling. "Just… Just leave me alone."

 _Everything he suffered through… everything that these people put him through. It's hurt him more than I realized._ Kiryu thought, his gaze falling away from him.

"... I heard what you were accused of… that you were called a criminal and a rapist, but-"

"I DIDN'T DO IT!" Naofumi exclaimed, his voice cracking. "I… I didn't do it. But no one… no one believes me…"

"I believe you, Master. With all my heart."

"How can I believe _you,_ though?! You're just a slave forced to follow me!"

"Naofumi…" Kiryu started, but Raphtalia held up a hand. She approached Naofumi again, causing him to squirm away.

"I said leave me!"

"It's okay, Master Naofumi. Listen to me closely," Raphtalia continued to move forward, even as he curled back from her in a sitting position. He shook as she approached, hopelessly crawling away. "I want you to believe me."

"Shut up!"

"Even if the world turns on you and blames you… I won't. I'll be there. And I will always say…" Raphtalia reached out and clasped his hand, causing Naofumi to freeze for a moment. And just as he stopped, she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his head and pulling him into a deep embrace.

"I believe you… I know that you didn't do it."

Naofumi was still for a long moment, as if the wave of darkness that spread across him was beginning to fade. He relaxed into Raphtalia's arms, accepting her hug for a moment. That was until his eyes wandered up, causing him to retreat from her.

"Wh-What?"

"I believe in you, Master Naofumi." Raphtalia repeated with a gentle smile.

"W-Wait, but who are you?!" Naofumi exclaimed, crawling back. "Y-You're not Raphtalia! She's a little girl!"

"So you finally noticed, huh?" Raphtalia giggled gently before holding a hand to her chest. "Now that you can see, I'll tell you now. Demi-humans mature far faster than humans, which is part of why we're considered beasts. We develop with our level."

"W-What?!"

 _So he couldn't see Raphtalia as she is this whole time? Why?_ Kiryu's gaze narrowed, but he remained silent as he let the two have their moment. _Well… I suppose that doesn't matter now._

"I hope you enjoyed the spectacle the Shield Hero put on with his servant, Kazuma Kiryu. For you have your own problems to think about now!" The King thundered as he stepped forward, before his knights took formation around Kiryu. "For not only did you strike a royal knight in this kingdom's service," the king snarled, leveling a vicious glare at the former yakuza "but it seems you also look to be a thief as well!"

"What was that?" Kiryu ground out, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

"Tell me, where did you get those gauntlets?!" The King demanded, pointing an accusing finger at Kiryu. "Did you rob the previous wielder of the Seven Star Gauntlets?! He is a man quite dear to me, and I would see his weapon returned!"

"What? There's… another wielder?" Kiryu muttered, sparing a look down at his arms before looking back at the King with a glare. "What are talking about? I didn't steal anything!"

"You can lie all you want, but the evidence is clear as day!" The knights began to approach closer to Kiryu. The former yakuza narrowed his eyes as his hands tightened into fists.

"H-Hey, what's going on?!" Naofumi cried, looking up at Kiryu in confusion.

"Mister Kiryu!" Raphtalia moved to stand, but the knights blocked them off.

"You will do well to stay out of this, Shield Hero! You are already barely getting by!" The King declared before shifting his gaze back to Kiryu. "Now come peacefully or we will take you by force!"

Kiryu stared back at the King before sparing a look around at the knights.

 _I may have to fight my way out of here… shit. Sorry Harken, Melonie. Things are about to get complicated. But before that…_

"Naofumi." Kiryu called out, shifting his gaze back to the Shield Hero. The young man looked up at him in wonder, watching as Kiryu gave him a small smile. "I want you to know something. Raphtalia isn't the only one who believes in you. I do too."

"Wh-What?"

"No matter what people try to say about you, I don't care. I've seen the kind of man you are, and I'm not turning my back on you." Kiryu declared before turning his attention back to the knights. "So know that there's always going to be someone who knows the truth, even if the whole world tries to tell them different. So try and find it in yourself to believe in us, too."

"K-Kiryu…" Naofumi found the strength to stand, looking around at the knights. "W-What are you planning to do with him?!"

"Whatever we MUST to learn the truth." The King declared, pointing his scepter at Kiryu. "It will only get worse if he tries to resist. Now, surrender yourself!"

Kiryu balled his fists, slowly getting into his fighting stance. "If Naofumi's treatment is any sort of indicator, I'm not going to get a fair trial. I'll pass."

The King grit his teeth, looking around at the knights. "Fine, then! Seize-"

Just as the King prepared to give the order, three figures suddenly landed in front of him, all bowing low. Kiryu raised a brow but didn't drop his guard, watching as the King let out a small gasp. The three strangers were clad in black cloth, all looking much like ninjas with their faces completely covered up.

"Y-You're…"

"We have a message for you, your Majesty." The one up front said, offering a scroll to the King. He hesitated before finally taking it, unfurling the paper before taking a moment to read it. Kiryu watched as the King's face went from stunned to furious, drawing his gaze back up to Kiryu and letting out a huff.

"You… Where did you get those gauntlets?!" The King demanded.

"I found them." Kiryu retorted without missing a beat, staring back into the King's eyes.

"You lie! You are-"

" _Your Majesty._ " One of the black draped men spoke, causing the man to flinch, strangely enough. "You know the Queen's demands."

"... Get out of my sight. Begone with you!" The King snarled, his anger directed at Kiryu. He turned away from the man soon after, with the knights awkwardly lowering their weapons and following after him.

"Papa? Papa, what's going on?" Malty said, giving chase to her father in confusion. Kiryu watched as the arena began to clear out, Motoyasu sparing him a final look before turning his head away haughtily.

"What the hell just happened..?" Kiryu muttered, straightening out with the threat now gone. He spared a look back, seeing Naofumi slowly approaching him with Raphtalia. "Sorry. I guess I almost caused some trouble of my own."

"... Did you… really mean it?" Naofumi asked, his eyes fearful as he looked up at the former yakuza.

Kiryu raised a brow but quickly caught on. And with a resolute nod, he said "Yes. Every word. You can trust both of us on that."

Naofumi's bottom lip tucked in, relief and joy finally finding its way across his face. "That's… I… I will…"

He suddenly collapsing on the ground. Raphtalia was quick to catch him, bringing his head to her chest to rest in.

"Thank you, Mister Kiryu. You've made us both happy to hear that," Raphtalia said softly, stroking her master's hair slowly in comfort. "Thank you for fighting for us, too."

Kiryu gave a gentle smile before nodding. "Yeah. Well… I'll leave you both alone, for now. I'll be waiting outside the courtyard."

With that, Kiryu turned around to leave, giving Naofumi and Raphtalia their time together to rest. But as he let the distance between them build, his thoughts on the King's words returned.

 _Harken didn't mention a previous wielder. What the hell does that mean?_ He spared a look down at the now minimized gauntlets, narrowing his eyes. _What else don't I know?_

* * *

"Our shadows in Melromarc were able to reach the King in time. The Weaponless Hero was not taken into custody."

Mirelia Melromarc let out a breath of relief, her once tense shoulders now relaxing as several servants adjusted her garments appropriately. She was a beautiful and mature woman, with purple hair tied up in a complicated bun in the back. She wore a golden crown on top of her head with large rubies decorating the ends.

"Thank goodness. And he seemed to support the Shield Hero?" She asked hopefully.

"Yes. He was the only one to speak on his behalf, save for the demi-human that was formerly his slave." The shadow answered, kneeling outside the window the queen stood by. "He even dueled with the Spear Hero in his place."

"He did? And who came out the victor?"

"The Weaponless Hero was winning the duel, but it was soon interfered by the Princess."

"I see. Then this man is more than just a notable warrior." Mirelia looked down in thought before looking back up. "Have an envoy reach out to this man. Make a request that he might join the Shield Hero's party."

"Yes, my queen."

"Oi. Before you go…" another voice, a man's, crept out from the other side of the room. A figure leaned on the wall, leaning to one side on a kanabo club. "You get a name to this guy?"

"Yes. His name was Kazuma Kiryu."

The figure was quiet for a moment. Before he laughed.

"Hehehe… HAHAHAHAHA~!" The man buckled over holding his stomach. "I fuckin' knew it! Hot damn if it didn't take him forever to show up, though!"

"You know this person?" The Queen asked, raising a brow in surprise. "So that means that he's also…"

"That's right. From another world, just like me." The man smiled from ear to ear, walking closer to the queen. "And I just knew I'd see him again. Guess you can count on your Shield Hero bein' just fine from now on."

"You think so?" Mirelia turned around to face the man, tilting her head in question. "You have that much faith in him?"

"I ain't got a doubt in my mind. Trust me when I say that ain't nobody better to have the guy's back than ol' Kiryu-chan."

* * *

 _Dear Uncle,_

 _It's been some time since I last saw you, but know that I'm doing well. I have gained entry into the Spear Hero's party, though I'm forced to have to deal with Malty Melromarc. She's as terrible as you described, but you know I can handle it. The Spear Hero, however, is his own bag of problems. I don't mind a man who enjoys the company of multiple women, that's his own business. But he's rather daft and doesn't seem to notice any of Malty's deceptions. Even when it's so obvious that anyone should see it. He means well, but I'm afraid that he's going to make things harder as time goes on._

 _But that aside, my letter comes to you more about you than myself. It has come to my attention that another with gauntlets like yours has appeared. I thought for sure that they were still in your possession, and couldn't help but wonder if you passed them onto someone without telling anyone. It is your business of course, but I was quite interested in finding out if this Kazuma Kiryu had a tie to you. Please write me back when you're able, as I do hope to figure out what's going on._

 _Love, Elena Haven_

"Heh… so you're here too… _Kiryu_."

 **To be continued…**

 **Thanks as always goes to my beta chidoriprime!**

 **Well, that chapter was certainly packed to the brim. It's a good thing I didn't continue on it from last chapter, I definitely would have taken much longer to write it out lol**

 **So yeah, as you can see, Kiryu's not alone in this big world. It seems that others are now making their appearances, all who know Kiryu personally. One I'm sure is quite obvious, but the last I'm sure will be difficult for some to guess. I do hope you all look forward to that in the coming chapters and what they'll mean for the story :)**

 **One thing I struggled with before was whether or not Kiryu should be allowed to intervene in the fight, as it was a pretty big point in the story for Naofumi. But it served well to give Kiryu Naofumi's trust, helping him find that one person aside from Raphtalia who truly believes in him (barring the blacksmith I suppose haha).**

 **This was a big chapter, one I certainly enjoyed writing even when I had problems in certain areas. I do hope you all felt the same. If you do, please leave a follow, a favorite and a review if you'd be so kind!**


	7. A Time to Celebrate

**Disclaimer: I own neither the Yakuza series or Rising of the Shield Hero**

A Time to Celebrate

Kiryu leaned back against the castle walls, arms crossed over his chest. He didn't bother trying to enter with Naofumi and Raphtalia after the two returned to get their obligatory reward from the King. Kiryu thought they should have just left without it, but Naofumi was insistent on getting the money. He hoped that the King would part with the bare minimum at least, but he doubted it greatly after everything that transpired the night before.

 _Things certainly got crazy last night. Could have gotten crazier if it wasn't for those people in black stepping in._ Kiryu narrowed his eyes in thought, remembering the masked men who'd forced the king to stop. _I remember Harken mentioned that the Queen has all the power. She's the only one I can imagine being capable of making him stop. Still, the question is why?_

Kiryu's thoughts were pushed to the side when he heard the front gate creak open. He pushed off the wall, seeing Naofumi and Raphtalia walking out, the former spotting an annoyed scowl.

"Hey." Kiryu called out, walking up to them. "How did it go?"

"About as well as you'd expect," Naofumi scoffed, walking forward to distance himself from the castle. "I almost didn't get paid, those bastards…"

"I'm surprised you did at all." Kiryu admitted.

"Even though they don't seem to be completely on our side, the Sword and Bow Heroes stood up for Master Naofumi." Raphtalia explained.

"Were they convinced by last night?"

"No. They were just satisfying their own egos. They're still a couple of idiots." Naofumi dismissed irritably.

"Kiryu-san!"

The three halted, shifting their attention back to see Itsuki and Ren walking toward them. Kiryu spared Naofumi a look before slowly walking back, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Hey. Did you need something?" Kiryu asked.

"I want an explanation, at least! You said that you were too busy protecting your village to join my party! So why did you join that scoundrel's instead?" Itsuki asked, pointing a finger past Kiryu.

"I'm not in Naofumi's party. He saved my village and I was paying back that debt." Kiryu explained easily, narrowing his eyes. "But after all that, how can you still call him a scoundrel?"

"What do you mean? Regardless of the King's bias, he's still a known criminal!" Itsuki huffed indignantly.

"You mean even after what happened during the duel and after, you still think Naofumi did those things?" Kiryu asked, his voice falling low as he felt irritation.

"Despite her actions the night before, it could be argued that the Princess simply still hates Naofumi for what he did and acted out emotionally." Ren argued, this being the first time Kiryu had heard him speak directly. "As unfair as last evening's events were, it doesn't mean Naofumi has been cleared of his crimes."

Kiryu uncrossed his arms and tightened his fists at his side. "You two really are just a couple of kids with your heads in the clouds."

Ren and Itsuki flinched at his words, their expressions shifting to surprise before irritation.

"Wh-What?! How can you say that?!" Itsuki snapped in irritation.

"Tell me. When Naofumi was accused, was there an investigation?"

"Why would there need to be?! We heard everything from-"

"From the princess. Who should be taken completely at her word. _Right_?" Kiryu said, shaking his head. "You two didn't even bother looking into the case. Motoyasu I could understand. He only thinks with his lower half. But what're your excuses for immediately taking her side? Did you even listen to what Naofumi had to say?"

"But we…" Ren started, only to hesitate as sweat trailed down his brow.

"You two have gotten on some high horses, acting as _heroes of justice_ because of those fancy weapons you carry around. How about you get your heads out of your asses and **think!** " Kiryu snapped, his voice erupting with intensity. "The King and Princess have been targeting Naofumi since the beginning. Neither of you bothered to question it, even now. Open your eyes already and grow up."

Kiryu didn't bother to wait for their responses, turning his back on them to walk away.

"Y-You're just being biased because he helped your village! You're letting him trick you!" Itsuki snapped back finally, causing Kiryu to stop a moment.

"Maybe you're right. But tell me. Would a scoundrel, with no ability to fight on his own, go out of his way to defend a village?" Kiryu asked, looking back over his shoulder. "Would he do everything in his power to drag the monsters attention to himself and away from the villagers? Would he risk his life for people he's only met a handful of times?"

"He could have been… trying to curry favor with you and the village!" Itsuki pointed out.

"I wasn't there at the beginning. He didn't know who I was, either." Kiryu deflected easily. "And what does gaining the trust of a single village do in the long run for him?"

Itsuki bit his bottom lip, looking toward Ren for support. Instead, the Sword Hero only cast his gaze to the side, unable to think of another reason. Itsuki looked back at Kiryu, beginning to reach for straws. "But…"

"Just give it up, kid. Stop fooling yourself." Kiryu huffed, shifting his gaze back forward. "If you can't accept when you're wrong, then you'll never be able to grow."

"D-Don't act like you know me! I'm not just some kid!" Itsuki argued, but Kiryu was done with the conversation. He walked back up to Naofumi and Raphtalia, ignoring the indignant screams of Itsuki.

"Sorry for the wait. Are we ready to go?" Kiryu asked, though didn't receive an immediate response. Naofumi stared at him in disbelief while Raphtalia was smiling ear to ear. "What?"

Naofumi's lips soon turned into a small smile, shaking his head. "Nothing. Let's go."

"Alright." Kiryu fell in line with them, the three walking through the city streets. "Before we head back to Lute, there are a couple of shops we can stop by. The villagers told me to make sure you were properly thanked."

"They did?" Naofumi raised a brow.

"Yeah. They've already told their relatives and friends in the city by now, so it should be easy."

"That was really nice of them! I'm sure we could do with some extra supplies," Raphtalia smiled, looking at Naofumi.

"I suppose… guess it wouldn't do me much good to turn it down." Naofumi admitted, holding his chin in thought.

"It'll make everyone feel better if you did, even if you're not looking for their gratitude." Kiryu said knowingly. "Don't turn them down, okay?"

"Yeah… okay then." Naofumi nodded in agreement.

"Oh, but before we pick up anything, there's one thing I want to do first." Raphtalia skipped ahead of them, spinning around and giving a smile. "Let's head for the slave trader's shop."

Naofumi and Kiryu raised a brow, sparing a look at one another.

* * *

To say Kiryu was uncomfortable would be an understatement. When Raphtalia made her request known, he couldn't help but feel conflicted about could tell Naofumi was as well, but Raphtalia's enthusiasm seemed to win him over. They soon arrived at the slave trader's shop in town, passing by an assortment of caged animals and beasts. The only saving grace of the situation was that Kiryu saw no demi-humans around him, otherwise he might have had some choice words to spare.

"Are you really sure about this?" Naofumi asked, looking at Raphtalia in worry.

"I am. I want to keep the mark as a symbol of my loyalty to you." Raphtalia nodded fervently.

"I'm sure there's other ways you could do that…" Kiryu muttered under his breath, earning a concerned look from the two.

"Really, Mister Kiryu, it's okay. I'm doing it of my own free will." Raphtalia tried to reassure him.

"There! Done." The slave shop owner, a short and plump old man with glasses and a top hat, spotting a black tuxedo lined with a feather mane around his neck, exclaimed. "The seal's been remade."

"Thank you." Raphtalia nodded, buttoning up her blouse.

"I have to say, you've done extraordinary work with this girl! She's sprouted up into quite the woman!" The slave owner laughed, massaging his chin in interest. "Why, if you were to sell her now, she'd be worth at least twenty gold!"

"Wh-What?!" Raphtalia and Naofumi blurted, though for different reasons.

"In fact, if she were a virgin, I bet-"

" _ **Hey.**_ " Kiryu placed a hand on the slave owner's shoulder, tightening his grip on his jacket. "Stop while you're ahead."

The slave trader felt sweat trail down his head, Kiryu's intimidating aura overwhelming him. "A-Ahahaha, of course! Of course! I was just mentioning her potential value, is all!"

Kiryu glared for a moment longer before releasing him, moving back to the table he was leaning against. The slave trader released a breath of relief before clearing his throat.

"Hey, relax a bit. It's weird to say, but it's thanks to him that I was able to get Raphtalia in the first place." Naofumi suggested, causing Kiryu to tense up somewhat. "Still… I can't believe you could get that much, though…"

"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia huffed.

"I-I wasn't considering it! I was just surprised by the number!" Naofumi defended, raising his hands in surrender.

"Your party has certainly become lively since I last saw you, Shield Hero!" The slave trader laughed, straightening out his collar.

"We're not…" Naofumi sent a look toward Kiryu, causing the former yakuza to raise a brow. "Um… it's just me and Raphtalia in my party. He's just helping us out."

"Ah, I see. Well, in that case, why don't you try and expand your party a bit!" The slave trader skipped over to another table nearby, pulling a cloth off from the top of it. Underneath were an assortment of monster eggs, drawing the curious eyes of his guests, even Kiryu this time.

"What's with the giant eggs?"

"These are an assortment of monster eggs! During the day, and honestly one of my more successful businesses, I offer what I call a Monster Egg Raffle!" The plump man declared, grabbing one of the capsuled eggs and offering it to Naofumi to see. On the front of its shell was a slave crest much like Raphtalia's. "There's a number of different monster eggs among them, all different! You pay 100 silvers for an egg, with a chance of obtaining a knight's dragon, which is worth twenty gold pieces!"

"There's a number of other things they could be, though… a lot of monsters sprout from eggs." Kiryu muttered, massaging his chin in thought.

"True, but even a regular monster can be resold! Also, if you buy ten, you can pick from another box of eggs that contains monsters at least worth 300 silvers at the lowest!"

"So it's like a gacha game…" Naofumi mumbled under his breath before narrowing his eyes. "Still, it sounds like a scam."

"How rude! Do I look like I run such an untrustworthy business?" The slave trader huffed.

"I would say so." Kiryu bluntly answered, causing the plump man to grumble.

"I mean, we did receive a reward from the crown, but… this doesn't seem like it's worth 100 silvers," Raphtalia laughed, shaking her head. "Right, Master Naofumi?"

Naofumi looked back down at the eggs, stroking his chin. "Actually, I'll take one."

"Eh?" Raphtalia and Kiryu grunted in surprise.

"Excellent!" The slave trader grinned ear to ear, he and Naofumi exchanging the money for the monster egg. "Thank you very much! I hope to see you soon!"

The three soon left, the demi-human among them placing her hands on her hips. "Master Naofumi! Why did you get that?"

"I figured it was worth a try. Even if it's something lame, we can resell it." Naofumi shrugged.

"Well, it would be helpful to have a monster in your group, I suppose." Kiryu shrugged. "One of those knight dragons would probably be able to handle itself fine in a fight."

"I guess, but… well, what's done is done." Raphtalia sighed. Her expression suddenly lit up, taking the bag she held off her shoulder. "Oh, before I forget, why don't we eat? I got a lot of food from the kitchen in the castle before we left!"

"Oh, that was a good idea." Naofumi said, following her to a set of crates nearby. She unrolled some cloth, revealing several sandwiches for them.

"Don't worry, I got you one too, Mister Kiryu!" Raphtalia said, offering him one.

"Thanks." Kiryu nodded, taking it and biting in. He hadn't gotten any food for himself last night either, so the sandwich was a welcome gift.

"I hope they're still good. It is almost a day old, so…"

"It doesn't matter. I won't be able to taste it anyway." Naofumi said, picking the sandwich up.

"You can't taste it?" Kiryu asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Ever since I got here, everything just tasted like nothing." Naofumi said with a neutral expression, one of tired acceptance. He took a bite from his sandwich, but his face immediately lit up with life. "It…"

"What is it, Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked, blinking.

"I can… I can taste it." Naofumi muttered, tears threatening at the edge of his eyes. "It's delicious…"

"Heh. That's good to hear." Kiryu smiled, watching as Naofumi began to dig in like it was his first meal in years. _First he couldn't see Raphtalia the way she was, and then it turns out he couldn't taste food… was that a result of the trauma?_ He thought, feeling more pleased to see the Shield Hero being able to enjoy himself. He wasn't a doctor, but he had heard that trauma could sometimes cause strange side effects that were purely mental. From what he could tell, Naofumi had suffered a deep trauma from his initial accusation. But last night was helping him get on the mend.

 _If nothing else, I'm glad I was able to help a bit with that, at least._

* * *

After collecting the gifts and items offered by the families of Lute Village in town, the three soon returned to Lute itself, wanting to take some time to make use of the gifts offered to Naofumi. Kiryu had to awkwardly deflect Naofumi's request for help learning how to read though, making the excuse that he only knew a little bit of reading due to moderate education. In a way, it was true. He had only spent some time learning with Julius and Melonie how to read the written language of Melromarc.

"Ah, Kiryu! Shield Hero! You've returned!" The village lord greeted as the three walked through Lute's streets. "We heard about the drama that occurred in the palace and were afraid something might have happened to you both. It's good to see you all safe."

"The king certainly didn't make it easy," Kiryu smirked, walking up to the village lord. "How's Melonie?"

"She's looking much better now. She's already on her feet, in fact. She's been trying to help with rebuilding, but Julius has been keeping her in bed."

"Heh. Good to hear."

"Ah, that reminds me. Julius said that if you and the Shield Hero were to come back soon, to send you over to his shop. He had something he wanted to discuss with you both." The lord said.

"His shop? Got it." Kiryu nodded, looking at Naofumi and Raphtalia. "Come on. If someone can help you with those books you got, it'll be Julius. Plus, he'll likely want to give you some potions as a gift."

"I don't really need anyone else's thanks…" Naofumi rubbed the back of his head.

"It'll be hard to reject his thanks. You saved his fiance." Kiryu pointed out.

Naofumi released a sigh before nodding. "Alright, I guess one more gift won't be so bad. Besides, asking for his help to read might level things out."

Kiryu guided them from there to townsfolk as they passed through. They soon arrived at his modest shop, the former royal mage sorting through the potion bottles on his store shelves. "Ah, Kiryu! Shield Hero! Great to see you both! Please, come in!"

"Hey, Julius. Everything okay in here?" Kiryu asked, looking around to see the place relatively okay, with only a few knocked over shelves.

"Far better than I was expecting, thankfully. I'll probably be one of the few shops able to open back up early in town. Though thanks to you three, I'm sure everyone will bounce back in no time," Julius said, grinning as he turned away from his potions before bowing to Naofumi. "I'm sure I've said it a thousand times, but I cannot express my gratitude enough, Shield Hero. Thank you for saving my fiance."

"You're right. You have said it enough," Naofumi sighed, only to be nudged in the side by Raphtalia before smiling. "I'm… glad to hear she's doing okay."

"She is. In fact, I'm glad Kiryu was able to bring you back. If there's anything we can do for you, please ask. Take your pick from my potions if you like, I'll give you the best ones for free."

"You don't have to do that. But…" Naofumi spared a look around the shelves, rubbing his chin in interest. "This is a bit hard to pass up. Decent potions don't come cheap… I'll take your offer."

"Great! My shop is at your disposal," Julius motioned to the rest of the store. "Oh, and perhaps this is a little forward of me but I do have… something to request of you."

"You do?" Naofumi raised a brow.

"Yes. This might be a bit sudden, but… would you mind being the guest of honor at our wedding?"

"Eh?" Naofumi and Raphtalia blinked in unison.

"Wait, you're already planning for the wedding?" Kiryu raised a brow in surprise.

"Not at all! Everything's already been arranged. The wedding will be tomorrow. No time like the present, after all! At this point, the only thing we'd wait for is you and the Shield Hero to return." Julius laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Melonie insisted we have it soon as possible, not wanting some other calamity to befall us and force another delay. She doesn't care about it being perfect like before. She just wants to get married already."

"Heh. Yeah, that sounds like Melonie."

"So, Shield Hero, what do you say?" Julius said, turning his attention back to Naofumi. "It would mean a lot to my fiance and I if you came."

Naofumi scratched his head awkwardly, looking to Raphtalia for help. She only smiled in encouragement, nodding in approval. He released a heavy sigh before turning back to Julius. "Well, I was planning to stay in town a few days, so I guess it wouldn't be a problem… But while I'm here, there is something I'd like to ask in return."

"If I can help, I'll do whatever you need!"

"Okay then. Can you help me learn how to read?" Naofumi held the books up that he received. "When I got summoned to this world, the Shield translated spoken language for me. But I can't really read the written language."

"Ah, I see! If that's what you want, I have no problem with helping out!" Julius smiled. "Kiryu had the same problem when he arrived, as well. It was-"

" _Julius_." Kiryu grunted, causing the mage to blink as he shifted his gaze to Kiryu. He immediately caught on, Julius clearing his throat as he turned back to Naofumi.

"W-When he arrived in town, I mean! Yes, haha…" Kiryu massaged the bridge of his nose.

"Is there… something I'm missing?" Naofumi asked, raising a brow.

"It's nothing. I'll.. .tell you soon. But I'd rather do it when we've settled in." Kiryu said, shaking his head. "Anyways, let's go and get you a room. I'll pay for your stay tonight."

"No thanks. You've done more than enough for us up to now. I don't want to run up a tab with you." Naofumi rejected his offer.

"He's right, Mister Kiryu. You don't have to keep doing so much. We can handle things from here for now." Raphtalia nodded in agreement.

"Well… if you say so. Just ask if you need anything else. If you guys have things handled from here, I'm going to stay here and work some things out with Julius." Kiryu relented.

"Alright. We'll see you soon." With that, Naofumi and Raphtalia waved goodbye, stepping out of the shop. Kiryu waited a moment before turning back to Julius.

"Sorry about my slip-up. I got a little carried away for a sec…" Julius admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

"Don't worry about it. I'm planning to tell them before they leave, anyway." Kiryu shrugged, leaning forward on the counter. "Does Melonie need help with any of the wedding plans?"

"No. We're just going to wing it tomorrow. We're just happy to get it done." Julius shook his head before frowning. "I heard about what happened at the palace. I'm sorry if things become difficult."

"You did warn me about the king and the princess, but I didn't realize how deep that all went. They've really got it out for Naofumi. I just can't figure out why." Kiryu said, looking to the side in thought. "They don't scream 'devout believers' of any sort of religion as far as I can tell."

"I've heard rumors as to why the king loathes the Shield Hero, but… nothing I can say for certain. Even though I was a royal mage, there were quite a few things we were kept in the dark about." Julius admitted, holding his chin in thought.

"What did you hear?"

"Well… some time ago, during a war between Melromarc and the other countries, it's been said that the King had a sister who was killed by a demi-human."

Kiryu raised a brow in confusion. "That's a shame if it's true… but what's that have to do with Naofumi?"

"The previous Shield Hero was notorious for being a huge supporter of the demi-humans. Siltvelt even worshipped him as a god, similar to the Church of Three Heroes." Julius explained, causing Kiryu to look away in thought.

"I guess I see the connection… still, to hold it against Naofumi seems irrational."

"I'd say it is. But he is an old man now, and his mind has deteriorated. Though, this is assuming what I heard is true. For all I know, it could just be speculation." Julius shrugged, crossing his arms.

"I see… though now I have another question." Kiryu held up his arm, showing Julius his minimized gauntlet. "You said that this was a Seven Star Weapon, right? You didn't tell me that it had a previous wielder."

"Didn't I? I threw out several theories regarding the gauntlets when I first spoke with you about them. Speaking of, I had sincerely hoped you wouldn't have gotten in that fight. I was afraid the king would recognize them." Julius breathed out in relief. "Good thing that didn't happen."

"It did, though." Kiryu said, causing Julius to flinch. "In fact, he said that the previous wielder was a dear friend of his. And that he's still alive."

"Wait, what?!" Julius' eyes bugged out of his head. "The previous gauntlet user is still alive?!"

"You didn't know?"

"N-No! Not at all! Details pertaining to the previous wielder have always been rather vague for some reason. I don't know if that was by design of the royal family or the man himself, but not much has been spoken of him since his days fighting alongside the king.." Julius explained, holding his chin in deep thought. "If he's still alive though… does that mean your gauntlets are not one of the Seven Stars?"

"Maybe. If you found these in the back of some storage room, I doubt that they are. The king looked genuinely upset to see me wearing them. If they did belong to a friend of his, I doubt he would have kept them tucked away so carelessly." Kiryu suggested, leaning his back against the front counter. "And from what it sounded like, he thought I stole them _from_ the previous wielder. Which means that he didn't even suspect the gauntlets from the vault."

"Oh thank god…" Julius breathed out in relief before blinking. "Wait… but then, how did you get out of there?!"

"These people in black outfits showed up and handed him a message from the queen, I think. He was forced to let me go."

"The Queen?! She knows about you?!"

"Apparently. Enough to keep the king from imprisoning me, at least." Kiryu nodded, narrowing his eyes. "Still, that just leaves me with more questions than answers."

"The kingdom has more secrets than I thought… I'm getting rather dizzy thinking about all of this," Julius sighed, rubbing his forehead. Kiryu spared him a look before shaking his head.

"Well, we should set those questions aside for now. You're getting married tomorrow, so I'd say that's our biggest priority."

"Hm? Oh-yes! Yes I am!" Julius laughed, putting on a tough smile. That was until his face went pale and his legs turned into noodles. "I'm getting married tomorrow…" He slumped over the counter.

"Come on, now. You've waited this long, and you're still freaking out?" Kiryu reached forward and pulled Harken to his feet.

* * *

"I now pronounce you… man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Kiryu smiled as he watched Melonie and Julius embrace in a loving kiss, the crowd of townsfolk cheering from their seats. Julius had made Kiryu his best man, as well as had Nugget act as the flower bearer, the bird shaking the basket surprisingly gently in its beak as it walked ahead of the bride, scattering petals. It was quite a humorous scene, but the townsfolk understood that Nugget had become like a family member and respected the decision.

Melonie and Julius turned away from the minister and began to walk back down the aisle together, waving to the guests. Looking up at the back, Kiryu could see Naofumi and Raphtalia standing off to the side. As guests of honor, they would typically be at the front, but Naofumi insisted on not being so conspicuous, which the happy couple agreed to. They were merely happy he showed up.

As the crowds began to follow the newlyweds, Kiryu led Nugget over to Naofumi and Raphtalia, who waited for him. "Hey. Thanks for coming."

"You don't have to thank me. The couple did plenty of that before it started," Naofumi chuckled. As Kiryu got closer, he noticed something in Naofumi's hands, raising a brow when he saw a small, pink bird fluttering its wings.

"Pew pew~!"

Oh. Is that a filolial chick?" Kiryu said, tilting his head in question.

"Yup. It hatched from that egg I got from the trader." Naofumi said, holding it up to show Kiryu.

"I see. Did you have a name for it?"

"Filo." Raphtalia shook her head at Naofumi's simple answer.

"That… is sort of what I expected." Kiryu chuckled.

"Better than Nugget, at least." Naofumi smirked. Speaking of, Nugget leaned in, tilting its head slightly as it inspected the young chick. The chick didn't take kindly to it though, narrowing its eyes at Nugget and pecking at his beak. Nugget blinked in surprise before hissing at the chick, forcing Kiryu to hold a hand up and keep his companion back.

"Pewa!" Nugget chortled in complaint, only for the chick to stick its tongue out in mockery.

"It already knows how to taunt others? It's not even a day old…" Kiryu mumbled, raising a brow.

"Yeah. It's surprisingly smart." Naofumi nodded.

"Looks like they're not going to get along well…" Raphtalia rubbed her head sheepishly.

"Doesn't look like it. And here I thought that he'd have a play friend," Kiryu sighed in amusement, petting Nugget's head as he attempted to calm him down. "Are you planning to keep it?"

"I was thinking about it. Having it around to pull a cart might be useful. And it's given me a couple ideas for what we can do with it…" Naofumi nodded, stroking his chin. "Anyway, I guess we better catch up to the party. You are the best man, after all."

"Yeah. Let's go."

They were quick to catch up to the reception, being ushered over to the front table to join Julius and Melonie, being both the best man and the guests of honor. Naofumi was reluctant, but Kiryu didn't let him run off this time, forcing him to join the table with Raphtalia's help. Food was brought out to them, a modest but tasty selection of roast chicken and mashed potatoes. Bards played music as the festivities continued, building an excited but lax ambience.

"Before we get ahead of ourselves-"

"You mean before you get drunk?" Melonie interrupted her husband with a giggle.

"Hush! Yes!" Julius shushed her with a laugh, causing a fit of laughter to rise from the crowd. He cleared his throat before continuing, "As I was saying, I would like to thank you all for coming! It is truly wonderful to have everyone here together after the Wave. Things could have been far worse, but thanks to the Shield Hero and Kiryu, the village of Lute was spared any fatalities. And thanks to them, this wedding was able to happen. Me and Melonie were able to wed just as planned. A toast to our heroes!"

"To our heroes!" The guests cheered in answer, mugs being raised all around. Naofumi rubbed his head awkwardly while Raphtalia positively lit up as her master was praised. Kiryu smirked before standing up, raising his own cup.

"And a toast to the couple. After I arrived in Lute Village, they took me in and helped me find a place among all of you. I'm proud to call them my friends. I know you'll both cherish and love each other for the rest of your lives." Melonie and Julius leaned into one another, smiling at the Dragon of Dojima. "Of course, if Julius gives you any problems, let me know Melonie. I'll set him straight." The guests laughed as well as Melonie, while Julius playfully shrunk back. "To the bride and groom."

"To the bride and groom!"

Kiryu took a seat after the toast, watching Melonie and Julius huddle together and start to feed one another.

"Good speech." Naofumi said, feeding Filo in his lap with some greens. "I didn't realize just how important they were to you until now."

"Yeah. They're like family to me, at this point." Kiryu nodded, sipping at his cup.

"That's really nice, Mister Kiryu." Raphtalia smiled, looking around at the merry folk of Lute. "To have a home like this with such good people… it's really nice."

"Yeah…" Kiryu shifted his gaze to the two, a thoughtful expression forming on his face. "Hey… if you two-"

"Hey, Kiryu! I hope you didn't forget what the bride requested!" Julius called out, causing the former Yakuza to turn. "We were promised a song! Come on!"

Cheers erupted from around the reception, all while Kiryu shifted in place.

"In front of everyone?" Kiryu mumbled, looking away awkwardly.

"It's not as if half the town hasn't heard you once before!" Julius laughed.

"Come on, Kiryu! The bride demands it!" Melonie shouted, causing Kiryu to sigh.

"You can sing?" Naofumi raised a brow.

"A little, I guess… Nothing to write home about." Kiryu shrugged. He slowly stood up from his seat, only to be rushed by Nugget who nudged him forward. "Lay off, already. I'm going."

"Good luck, Mister Kiryu!" Raphtalia giggled, clapping her hands in excitement. The former yakuza sighed, adjusting his collar and walking around the table, immediately eliciting a short cheer before the crowd fell silent. Kiryu walked over to one of the bards and whispered to them. They gave a quick nod before they began to strum a wistful tune. One of the bards played along with a flute, setting an almost blue atmosphere.

Naofumi sat up a bit, his brow hardening. _Why does this sound… kinda familiar?_

Kiryu strode to the front of the table, putting his hand in front of him like he was holding a microphone. ***** _"I'll sing for you…"_

Melonie and several other women gave squeals of joy.

" _So foolish. You are a child,_

 _Chased dreams and got hurt_

 _Even though you're a bad at lies, you showed me a humourless smile."_

The town folk hooted and cheered, but kept it to a minimum as Kiryu continued to sing.

"Oh my goodness…" Raphtalia mumbled into her hands. "He's really good…"

"Yeah…" Naofumi mumbled, shocked for two reasons. _I_ _ **do**_ _know this song! But that's..._

" _You can't even say "I love you"._

 _You're really clumsy and bad with words._

 _Even so, even so, why could you say "goodbye"?_

 _This is no good. No good. No good at all._

 _I love you, I love you too much._

 _No matter how strong the drink,_

 _the memories are never muddied; what a fool"_

Kiryu lowered his head, allowing the instrumentals to continue as the song faded out perfectly. Once the music ceased, the reception filled with cheer, everyone praising and screaming for Kiryu. The former yakuza smirked and waved to the crowd, refusing to be goaded into a follow up song despite their hopes. He soon walked back to his seat, greeted by a starry eyed Raphtalia and a bewildered Naofumi.

"That was amazing, Mister Kiryu! Who knew you had such an amazing voice!" Raphtalia praised.

"Thanks. I don't think it's that special, but it's nice to hear."

"You're not really giving yourself enough credit… but…" Naofumi mumbled, watching Kiryu with some suspicion. "Where did you… hear that song?"

Kiryu stiffened, looking up at Naofumi as he realized his mistake. _I hadn't thought about whether he'd recognize that song or not…_ But as he thought about it, the less tense he felt. _Well… I was planning to tell him soon._

"I heard it when I was a kid. At the time, it was a pretty popular song. My taste never really changed since then, though." Kiryu said, leaning forward on the table and picking up his drink.

"Where exactly did you hear it?"

"... On the radio, if I remember right."

"Eh?" Naofumi blanched.

"What's a radio?" Raphtalia blinked in wonder.

"You wouldn't know, Raphtalia, but Naofumi does." Kiryu said, looking back up at Naofumi with a smirk. "After all, we're both from a different world, right?"

 **To be continued…**

 **Thanks goes to my beta chidoriprime for their quick help!**

 **Ugh, finally. I've been procrastinating so hard. This chapter was long overdue, as well as another story's own. You can blame the heat, my laziness and Three Houses for that lol**

 **A relatively short chapter, but I thought this would be a good way to wind things down. I wanted to get this wedding done as well as have those pesky Hero kids get the scolding they deserved lol**

 **So the truth comes out. To be honest, Kiryu has always been too honest for his own good. Though in this case, that was due to his own trust.**

 **And, finally, Filo appears! And isn't she off to a great start with Nugget? I'm sure that won't hold any significance in the future story XD**

 **Also, I'm trying something new and, rather than posting OST titles through a story, I'm going to post it at the end of the chapter and star where they would be. Just thought I'd try it out and see if it seemed less intrusive than what I've been doing.**

 ***Yakuza OST: Baka Mitai**

 **Anyways, that's it for this chapter. Please leave a review, a follow and a favorite if you'd be so kind! Thanks!**


	8. The Race for Lute Village

**Disclaimer: I own neither Rising of the Shield Hero or the Yakuza series**

Race for Lute Village

"... You're kidding me."

Kiryu smirked as he watched Naofumi and Raphtalia's reactions. He took the time to explain his arrival in this world. The summoning, the fight with the bandits and his training. Being able to speak openly about it with someone other than Julius and Melonie was a nice change of pace. It made him realize just how odd, if a bit funny, his time in this world had been so far.

"No. It's all true." Kiryu reaffirmed, sloshing his mug back and forth.

"Amazing… to think he's from another world like you, Master Naofumi…" Raphtalia mumbled, her eyes shining with curiosity. "I wonder if you two could have met sometime in the past!"

"I doubt it. It's not likely we're from the same world." Naofumi said, this time causing Kiryu to raise a brow.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" He asked.

"Tell me, who was the prime minister of Japan where you're from?" Naofumi asked.

"... Shinzo Abe."

"Yup. Looks like we're not from the same world." Naofumi nodded, causing Kiryu to widen his eyes. "When I first came here, me and the other idiot heroes started to compare details about our worlds. Like who was on the thousand yen bill and who was prime minister. It turns out that all four of us came from different worlds. Looks like you're the same."

Kiryu's nose wrinkled, looking forward in thought. "I didn't think of that kind of thing being a possibility… I guess I still have more to learn about this place. But then how'd you recognize the song?"

"It seems like certain things remain the same between worlds. Even if the song is in both worlds though, it could be written by different people." Naofumi explained, causing Kiryu to nod.

"I see… that's a bit to wrap my head around, but I think I get it." Kiryu sighed, rubbing his forehead before smirking. "Still… it is kind of funny that the thing that exposed me was singing a song."

"Yeah, funny how things turned out." Naofumi returned the smirk. "Still, you're a lot different than the rest of us. I was just a shut-in with limited game knowledge while the other idiots were actual gamers before coming here. That said, from the start you knew how to fight just fine. What were you before coming here? Some MMA fighter?"

Kiryu frowned at that, shifting his gaze down to his drink as he considered his next words. Most civilians who found out his prior lifestyle weren't so quick to understand. Then again, considering the way Naofumi was treated, he knew that he'd be one of the few to likely understand.

"... I ran an orphanage." Naofumi nearly fell out of his seat.

"You've got to be kidding me! A guy like you?!"

"But before that… I was a yakuza."

That made Naofumi flinch, his eyes half bulging out of his head.

"Yakuza? What's that?" Raphtalia tilted her head in question.

"I was basically part of an organized gang. I don't know if this world has an equivalent to it, but something of a criminal organization." That was able to sink in with Raphtalia, her own eyes bulging this time.

"A yakuza… huh? That… kinda explains some things." Naofumi mumbled, stroking his chin in thought. "It definitely matches that mean mug of yours…"

"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia scolded.

"Heh, that's alright. I used to get that a lot." Kiryu chuckled, looking at the two. "I was part of the yakuza for years until… some things happened, and I was forced out. I did a stint in jail for ten years before I opened an orphanage."

"... Wait, this doesn't make much sense." Naofumi's brow creased in doubt. "Years? You barely look older than me. There's no way that's all true."

"Hm? Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that," Kiryu scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Before I came here, I was forty seven. But when I was brought to this world, I was… de-aged, I guess."

"Eh?!" Raphtalia and Naofumi's jaws slacked, the two staring in utter disbelief.

"This seems to be the most surprising thing for you two so far." Kiryu smirked again.

"Of course it is! I don't think any of us went through that kind of dramatic change! That explains a lot in fact!" Naofumi blanched, scratching at his hair with both hands. "You're way more mature than those other idiots! Hell, you were more mature than I was before all that shit went down!"

"I'm pretty sure I'm still more mature than you." Kiryu chuckled.

"You know what I mean. You have a lot more wisdom than half the people in this world, far as I'm concerned." Naofumi rubbed the back of his head. "It's just kind of odd to wrap my head around… I guess everyone got different treatment. Still, I didn't know that people outside the Four Heroes could be summoned from our world."

"Harken thought I was the wielder of the Seven Star Gauntlets, but when I heard that there was supposedly some other previous wielder out there, it made us doubt that theory." Kiryu said, holding up his arm and making the gauntlet expand. "I don't know much about this thing or what it's supposed to be… but it's definitely what brought me here."

"Hm… What about you, Raphtalia? Did you hear about other heroes from other worlds outside the Four Heroes?" Naofumi turned to the demi-human.

"Hm… I heard some rumors that some of the previous heroes' party were from other worlds, but that was just a rumor. Nothing really confirmed it like with the Four Heroes." Raphtalia shook her head.

"Hm. Guess we'll just have to accept that as a mystery for now." Kiryu shrugged. "Either way, it doesn't make much difference for now. But that aside, what's your impression of me now? Knowing that I was a yakuza."

Naofumi blinked, scratching his cheek with his index finger. "Well… it was kind of surprising, but it's not a big deal to me. I mean, if you got out of it and opened an orphanage of all things, it clearly wasn't for you. And even if you were a yakuza until you got here, I probably wouldn't give a shit. You've done more for me than almost everyone in this shit world so far, and I've known you for the least amount of time."

"He's right, Mister Kiryu. Regardless of your past, you're clearly a good person." Raphtalia smiled kindly.

Kiryu smirked, happy to hear their answers. "I see. Well, I guess we can drink to both being considered the scum of society."

Naofumi let out a genuine laugh at that, grabbing a cup of ale and holding it up. "Yeah, I guess we can. Cheers."

Naofumi and Kiryu toasted, downing their drinks before joining the rest of the party.

* * *

The week after the wedding had been relatively quiet. Naofumi and Raphtalia stayed in the village for the time being, working with the villagers on the minor repairs needed around Lute. Julius did as promised after coming back from their two day honeymoon and began teaching Naofumi the written language. Kiryu took the chance to learn some as well, considering he wasn't very well versed in it either.

During this time, oddly enough, Filo began to grow at an exponential rate. By the end of the week, she went from being the size of the egg she was born in to matching Nugget in size, only a head or so smaller. That didn't stop her from being bold though, the two birds often at odds with one another as Filo liked to pick fights with Nugget, eventually evolving into a rivalry.

"Seriously. Could you two get along a little better, now?" Kiryu sighed, walking Nugget next to him as the filolial let out a low growl, eyes narrowed at Filo.

"I don't know what her big deal is with your bird, either. From the day they met, they haven't liked each other," said Naofumi, keeping Filo on his right and as far away from Nugget as possible.

"Typically filolials travel in herds from what I've heard, so it's kind of strange that they don't get along very well…" Raphtalia put a finger on her chin.

"Well, Nugget's always been a problem child. I guess they're similar in that way." Kiryu shrugged, only for Nugget to peck at his shoulder in disapproval.

"Well, we'll be leaving soon. Hopefully giving them space will let them stop hating each other." Naofumi said.

"So, you're planning to head out soon, huh?" Kiryu asked, feeling a little bummed to hear it.

"Yeah. As nice as it's been here for us, we've got to get on the road. I need to start making money and really leveling up, otherwise we won't be ready for the next Wave." Naofumi explained, earning a nod from Kiryu.

"I see. I guess I can't blame you for that." Kiryu hummed before giving him a smirk. "Well, if you ever have time between business, feel free to drop by Lute. We'd be happy to welcome you again."

Naofumi's expression became conflicted, looking at Kiryu with hesitation. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh? No, I…"

"Come on, Master Naofumi! Ask him!" Raphtalia urged, an excited and expectant look on her face.

"Raphtalia, I told you I wasn't sure yet…" Naofumi groaned, looking to the side in mild embarrassment.

"Ask me what?" Kiryu came to a stop, raising a brow at the two. "What's going on?"

"Well…" Naofumi trailed off, rubbing his arm nervously.

"Shield Hero! Kiryu!" The three looked down the road to see Julius running toward, the mage looking panicked as he stopped in front of them. "Thank goodness I found you! We need your help!"

"Right now? What's going on?" Kiryu asked, turning in alert.

"It's the Spear Hero! He's here with the princess and several knights! They're gathering the townsfolk at the front of the village for something." Julius explained, causing Naofumi to scoff.

"What are that bitch and moron doing this time?"

"We shouldn't wait and find out. Come on." Kiryu suggested, the five (including the birds) following Julius to where the villagers were gathered. Naofumi visibly tensed when Princess Malty came into view, and with Motoyasu standing next to her no less.

"Hear ye, hear ye! In recognition of Motoyasu's efforts during the previous Wave, the King has granted lordship of this land to the Spear Hero, Sir Motoyasu!" Malty announced, the Spear Hero raising his chin proudly. Many among the village broke into worried whispers and confusion, but Malty continued on. "So in light of the rebuilding efforts, Sir Motoyasu will be leveying a toll! Any and all who enter and exit the village will be charged a toll of fifty silvers!"

"What?!" Julius blanched, the villagers going into an uproar.

"What kind of ridiculous scam is that?" Kiryu narrowed his eyes in irritation, clenching his fist as he began to weave through the crowd.

"You dare to oppose the taxation from your new lord?" Malty glared at the crowd.

"You're damn right they do." Naofumi called out, following close behind Kiryu to the front with Raphtalia. "Do you idiots have any idea how much you're charging?"

"Shield Hero?! What are you still doing here?!" Malty snarled, her eyes darting from him and back to Kiryu before smiling. "Neither of you has any place in this discussion! You had your chance to take this village before, _Weaponless Hero_! You're too late to change that now!"

"So in return, you're going to rob the people of their hard earned coin?! Where do you get off?!" Kiryu snapped, looking to Motoyasu this time. "And you!"

"M-Me?" Motoyasu blinked innocently.

"Are you fine with stealing villagers money so blatantly?! You'll drive this place into the ground!"

"W-Well, Malty said that a fifty silver cost wasn't too bad…" Motoyasu scratched the back of his head.

"Alright then, tell me how much it costs to stay a single night at the inn here." Naofumi said, crossing his arms. Motoyasu continued to look awkward and quiet, Naofumi pushing further. "One silver. It costs one silver just to stay at the inn. And you're planning to take **fifty** silvers every time someone enters or leaves? You'll wring out every last coin these people have until they starve!"

"Yeah!" The crowd began to go into a louder uproar, rallying behind Kiryu and Naofumi.

"W-Wait, I…" Motoyasu meagerly attempted to dissuade the crowd, only for Malty to step up and wave at the surrounding knights.

"You dare oppose a royal decree?! You're all nothing but peasants!" The knights raised their spears, ready to beat back the crowd with lethal force.

But just as fast, Kiryu equipped his gauntlets, stepping forward as a burst of sparking white energy surrounded him."You threaten these people _again…_ I'll **bury** your entire kingdom."

The knights immediately recoiled at the threat, and the crowd went silent. Kiryu's intimidating aura washed over those around him, and even Motoyasu and Malty took a step back, feeling as if they were facing a ferocious dragon. Malty shook the nerves away though, smiling despite the sweat on her brow and taking a step forward. But before she could escalate the situation, several figures appeared on top of the stage. Kiryu widened his eyes when he saw the same black garbed men from the night of the fight.

"Wh-What?! What are you doing here?!" Malty demanded.

"A message for you, Princess Malty." One said, holding out a scroll. Naofumi took the moment to approach Kiryu, touching his shoulder.

"It's them again. The queen you think?" He whispered.

"Probably. She must be keeping tabs on her daughter." Kiryu said, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"Wh-What?! This can't be right! How could-"

"You know your mother's orders, princess." Malty bit her bottom lip in frustration, her eyes darting to Naofumi.

"Shield Hero! Lord Motoyasu hereby challenges you for the right to rule this region!" Malty declared, causing Naofumi to blink.

"Huh?"

* * *

"Of all the things…" Naofumi sighed, fastening a harness to Filo's back. It was strange enough to have the challenge be suddenly hoisted upon him, but it was even stranger to have a challenge for a dragon race, of all things. Naofumi had no interest in the region, and initially refused even after the townsfolk's begging. But then Kiryu came and pleaded their case, and Naofumi suddenly buckled.

"Sorry to ask you this." Kiryu sighed, leaning back against Nugget's side as he watched Naofumi get ready. "I would have taken your spot, but they seemed adamant about it being you this time."

"That bitch doesn't want a repeat of what happened at the duel, probably." Naofumi huffed, looking at Kiryu from the side. "Still, I'm surprised they chose a race of all things."

"Well, at least we were able to avoid going to blows over this," said Raphtalia, looking at Kiryu. "I thought you were going to fight the knights."

"Sorry about that. But seeing them threaten the villagers like that pissed me off." Kiryu's brow hardened, glaring across the field at Malty as she spoke with her knights. "That woman doesn't have a single redeeming quality, huh?"

"Some would argue her looks, but I just think that makes it worse." Naofumi scoffed, glaring the same way.

"Shield Hero! Shield Hero!" The three turned their heads to the side to see Julius running over, panting for breath as he arrived. "Good, you haven't started yet. I was hoping I could catch you first and give you something!"

"Oh? What is it?"

"I thought I'd cook up a little something special for your filolial!" Julius smirked, producing a small vial of yellow liquid. "Tada~! A special speed boost potion! You just have to slip it to your partner real quick and it'll be moving twice as fast!"

"Huh. That does sound pretty useful." Naofumi hummed, taking the vial and pocketing it. "Thanks. If it'll make Motoyasu eat my dust, I won't complain."

"Master Naofumi! That's dirty!" Raphtalia argued, cheeks puffed up in disapproval.

"So what? I expect they'll be pulling plenty of dirty tricks of their own." Naofumi shrugged, shooting another look at Malty as several knights dispersed. "If it'll help me win, I'll do it."

"Exactly! Please do your best and don't let our humble village fall into the hands of a moron and a harlot." Julius grinned, putting his hands together and bowing.

"You really don't have much shame left, do you?" Kiryu smirked as Julius nearly tripped over his own feet. "But don't worry about any dirty tricks. I'll take care of it. So try not to use the potion if you can avoid it."

"Hm? What do you mean?" Naofumi blinked, only for Kiryu to shrug.

"You'll see. Besides, you should probably check on Filo."

"Huh?" Naofumi and Raphtalia turned to look at the bird, Filo coming face to face with the riding dragon that Motoyasu would be using. She ground her beak and hissed at it, a dark expression covering her face.

"What's her deal..?" Naofumi grumbled, scratching his head.

"Well, it is said that filolials naturally don't get along with dragons… so maybe that's part of it." Raphtalia informed him.

"Hm, that is a bit of an old tale, but I suppose it stands true." Julius stroked his chin curiously. "I'd heard that there were dragons and filolials that could transform and used to mate, but eventually it became violent between their races and they never again cross-bred."

"Huh?" Naofumi and Kiryu wrinkled their noses, not liking the picture forming in their heads.

"W-With dragons?! That seems so strange!" Raphtalia's lip quivered at the idea.

"Well, that's one account. Several others say they've always just naturally hated each other for one reason or another." Julius shrugged.

"Hah! You're really going to ride **that** thing?" Naofumi felt his skin crawl when he turned to see Motoyasu approach, spear resting proudly on his shoulder. "It's just a big floppy bird!"

Filo walked back over as Motoyasu laughed, seemingly understanding his taunting well enough. As she strode by him, she delivered a devastating kick to his crotch before he could react. He went flying from the force, coincidentally straight into Nugget of all things. The black filolial blinked as Motoyasu slammed into his chest, causing him to skid across the ground before stopping. Nugget glared back at Filo, the pinkish-white bird letting out a strangely devilish giggle.

"Th-thank you for stopping me…" Motoyasu mumbled, dazed and in pain. Nugget just looked back down at him before reeling its right leg back. "Have mercy..?"

Nugget had no mercy, slamming its leg directly into his crotch and rocketing him back toward Filo. In return, Filo simply kicked him away, having the smallest amount of mercy by not aiming at his jewels this time, simply batting him away like an unwanted soccer ball. He flew directly into a pile of hay, this time going noticed by Malty who ran over in a panic.

"Lord Motoyasu! Quick, a healing potion!" She ordered the knights before glaring back at Naofumi. "You dastard! You're cheating before the competition!"

Naofumi blinked before giving her a shit eating grin. "Hey, it's his fault for getting too close."

"He should know that filolials aren't the best tempered." Kiryu smirked, scratching Nugget's head in approval.

Filo crowded next to Naofumi as the two not so stealthily hid their laughter. Raphtalia watched them with some awe, a smile spreading across her lips.

"Laughter suits him better, huh?" She jumped when she heard Kiryu's voice, the former yakuza smiling next to her, one she happily returned.

"It really does!"

* * *

"The race will be three laps around the outer edge of the village!" The village lord announced. Motoyasu and Naofumi had taken their positions next to each other, ready to begin. "Whoever is to reach this cape first will be declared the victor!"

"Lord Motoyasu! Do your best~!" Malty cheered from the side, standing by her knights.

"I believe in you, Master Naofumi! Do your best!" Raphtalia called from her place next to the villagers.

"I will also note that, after some discussion, this match will be observed and judged by Kazuma Kiryu, the Weaponless Hero!"

"Huh?" Malty blanched, looking at the village lord before looking at Kiryu, who stood close by with Nugget's reins in hand. "Wh-What?! How can this be fair?!"

"I'm simply going to make sure nothing dirty happens." Kiryu argued, arms crossed over his chest. "I'm not going to be partial to Naofumi or Motoyasu. I _will_ keep anything underhanded from happening, though."

Malty grit her teeth in frustration, stepping forward to say something...

"Hey, it's fine! There's no way Naofumi's going to beat my riding dragon anyway!" Motoyasu waved her off, grinning with pride. Malty hesitated, biting her bottom lip as Kiryu smiled in satisfaction.

"F-Fine! But if I see you letting any cheating slide, Naofumi will be disqualified!"

"If you say so. Go ahead, sir." Kiryu nodded to the village lord. The old man nodded back before raising his arms in the air.

"On your marks… get set… GO!"

In a flash, Naofumi and Motoyasu's mounts took off, the two leaving a trail of dust behind them. And from the start, it was clear that Filo was taking the lead, having an edge in speed over the riding dragon. Malty bit her bottom lip in irritation, looking over to where Kiryu once was only to see that he was gone.

"Tch. Yeah, right. We'll see if he can 'judge' this match well. Move out!" Malty ordered her knights in a whisper, moving the edge of the fenced wall where the racers would come around. Two knights moved to the other side of the road, hiding in the brush to conceal themselves. As the dust clouds approached, one of the knights put his hands together to cast a spell.

"As source of thy power, I order thee… create a pit in front of-"

"Not even a few minutes before you guys start cheating, huh?"

The knight froze as he slowly turned around. For his trouble, a fist dug straight into his jaw, several teeth knocking loose before he went flying past the other knight. "GUAGH!"

"Wh-What the-" The other knight cowered, quickly running to his friend's side and helping him up. Kiryu now stooped over them, cracking his knuckles. "Y-You would dare strike a royal knight?!"

"I'm in charge of making sure this is a clean and fair match. A match declared by a royal decree." Kiryu said, causing the knight to clam up. "If you cheat, you can either take a royal punishment or get your lord disqualified."

"But… but…" the knight's jaw slacked, struggling to find a proper answer. He finally clicked his tongue and reached for his sword. "You-"

Kiryu cut him off with an armored fist to his head, knocking him over. Kiryu scoffed, looking up to see Naofumi riding past. He was clearly ahead of Motoyasu, who huffed and snarled in protest as he tried in vain to make his mount go faster. _That's one lap down. Better go and make sure that the other parts of the field aren't being prepared with traps._

Kiryu left the two unconscious knights behind, whistling for Nugget to come. The filolial trotted up, quickly pullling his owner on top using his neck. They then began to ride through town, looking to cut through and check the other side of the field. But as they reached the outer edge of town, they were suddenly surrounded by a host of knights, spears presented.

"You won't be allowed to stop us, Weaponless Hero!" A knight declared, raising his sword as the others pointed their spears.

"Seriously. You idiots are just wasting my time." Kiryu sighed, hopping off of Nugget's back. The black filolial snarled at the knights, scraping its talons against the ground. "Fine then. If you're dead set on getting barrelled over, then come at me!"

 **(Yakuza 0 OST: Trouble Shooting Star)**

 _ **Royal Knights**_

The first knight charged Kiryu from his left side. Kiryu easily evaded the spear, stepping past the pole and slamming his forearm into his chest. The armor did little to protect the knight, the wind knocked out of him as he flipped through the air several times before landing face first in the dirt.

The other knights built up their courage, beginning to charge at Kiryu together. Several were soon intercepted by Nugget though, the filolial slamming its foot directly into the chest of a knight and launching him into another.

"Wh-What the-?! His filolial can fight too?!" One of the knights blanched, his spear shaking in his hand.

"Don't waver! We must follow the princess's orders!" The supposed leading knight declared, rallying his men.

"Sorry. But those will be orders you can't keep." Kiryu dashed forward, a yellow aura surrounding him as he grabbed another knight's chest plate and swung him through the air. He spun him in a circle, smacking several other knights with the man before tossing his body on top of theirs.

"You cur!" The leader growled as he aimed to spear Kiryu through. The former yakuza simply stepped back, avoiding the blade before grabbing the spear. Ripping it from the knight's hand, it soon began to reject the weapon with electric energy, but Kiryu didn't mind as he soon tossed it aside. He then brought his fist back around and slammed it into his stomach, hitting with enough force to send the man flying into the remaining knights on their feet.

"Nugget! Let's go!" KIryu called, the black filolial quickly to his side and dashing forward the moment Kiryu mounted its back. They began to race through the village, looking to the sky to see the dust clouds kicked up by Naofumi and Motoyasu's mounts. "They're getting close. The knights should be, as well… Let's get to the edge of town."

It wasn't long before they were faced with the dirt road outside Lute, the two quickly looking around for their targets. "Pewa!" Kiryu followed Nugget's pointed look, catching sight of a knight standing in the brush.

"Good job. Let's go!" Kiryu pulled on the reins, but Nugget shook his head. Kiryu looked down the path, seeing the two racers steadily approaching. "Shit… we might not make it in time unless…" Kiryu stood on top of Nugget's saddle, narrowing his eyes as he faintly heard the knight begin to chant. "It's now or never. Buck me!"

"PEWA!" Nugget quickly threw its hips forward, launching Kiryu through the air.

Blue sparks erupted around Kiryu, the former yakuza cocking his arm back as he grit his teeth and aimed his punch. The knight took notice of him a little too late, looking up and dropping his jaw in shock. "HIYA!" Kiryu slammed a fist into said jaw, sending the knight tumbling across the ground. Kiryu rolled safely across the ground, stopping on one knee before looking back at the course.

"It looks like the Shield Hero's in the lead! Only one last lap left!"

"I think that's the last of our knight problems. With that done…" Kiryu walked back over to Nugget, quickly mounting him and riding back to the finish line. He came to a stop near Raphtalia, the demi-human looking at him curiously.

"Hey, Mister Kiryu. Where did you go?" She asked innocently.

"I was just dealing with a couple of 'bumps' in the road. Everything should be okay now." Kiryu vaguely answered. He looked across the road to see one of the knights limping over to Malty, the bitch princess's jaw dropping as he relayed a message to her. Kiryu couldn't stop a smirk from forming on his lips as he watched her snarl, turning a heated gaze his way.

Raphtalia tilted her head in question, but drew her attention back to the course as Naofumi and Motoyasu soon approached. "Ah, here they come! Go, Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia cheered. Kiryu watched as Naofumi and Filo made a sharp turn around the corner, well ahead of Motoyasu as they finally crossed the finish line. It was clear as day that Naofumi had won the race.

The villagers cheered, quickly crowding together as Naofumi slowed to a stop. Kiryu trotted ahead of the others, meeting the Shield Hero first. "Good won that pretty soundly."

"Thanks. Though if you want to give someone praise," Naofumi hopped off Filo, smiling as he raised a hand to pat her back. In that instant, Kiryu and the other villagers watched as her body transformed. Filo's form blew up like a balloon, now looking like a thick ball of feathers with a larger head. "It's Filo." Naofumi finally pat her feathers, but took notice of the shift in thickness. He looked at his mount, blinking owlishly as he finally saw her new form. "Wh-What the hell?! Filo?!"

"Pewa!" She chirped happily, almost as if nothing had happened.

"That's… new." Kiryu mumbled, looking down at Nugget expectantly. The filolial only tilted its head and shrugged its wings in clear confusion.

"What's the deal with this..?" Naofumi mumbled in shock, raising a brow.

"You filthy cheater!" The crowd quickly shifted their gaze to Malty, the princess walking over with her (clearly injured) knights behind her. "First the Weaponless Hero cheats by assaulting our knights, and now this tub of lard reveals itself?! This was a clearly rigged race!"

"H-hold now, your Highness! The filolial only now transformed after taking part in the race!" The lord of Lute pleaded their case.

"Not to mention I caught your knights attempting to sabotage the race. So instead of disqualifying Motoyasu, I gave them the 'red flags'." Kiryu crossed his arms, unamused by the princess's lies.

"Tch. Why doesn't _that_ surprise me?" Naofumi scoffed, glaring daggers at Malty.

"Likely story! From what my knights describe, you were the one they caught attempting to cheat for the Shield Hero! And when they tried to stop you, you assaulted them!" Malty accused, pointing a finger at Kiryu. "It was a clear show of favoritism from the so-called 'official' of the match!"

"Actually, Princess…" Malty immediately tensed up as the same men and women in black appeared next to her. "We kept a number of our Shadows close by to observe the Weaponless Hero's actions. He was clearly stopping several of the knights from sabotaging the racing track."

"Wh-What?!" Kiryu smirked as Malty's face went pale at being called out, her eyes darting around the villagers before turning her back. "Tch! Clearly they were only concerned for the Spear Hero's safety when dueling with a cheater like the Shield Hero!"

"Even when exposed, you're still full of it." Naofumi spat in irritation.

"Regardless of their intentions, Kazuma Kiryu acted within his right as the official and prevented them from cheating, your Highness." The Shadow continued, causing Malty to grit her teeth and huff.

"Whatever! We'll leave for now! But don't think this is the end of it!" Malty snarled, turning back to her knights and walking past them.

"Don't think this victory means anything!" They heard Motoyasu approach, Naofumi turning to see the dumb blond hero glaring his way. "Next time you won't be so lucky! And that fat ball of feathers won't-"

"Hey, how's your crotch doing?"

"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia huffed, only for Naofumi to grin smugly at the Spear Hero.

"S-Shut up! You'll pay for this!" Motoyasu snapped before walking off awkwardly, legs spread wide to give his junk room. Kiryu hopped off Nugget, walking over to Naofumi and Raphtalia.

"Looks like that ended well enough. Good job winning," said Kiryu.

"Good job keeping the course clear. I thought I saw you sailing by when I was racing." Naofumi smirked. "What exactly were you doing?"

"I was just making sure it was a clean race." Kiryu chuckled.

"Guuu~!" The three looked to the side to see Filo stooping over Nugget with her newfound size, a smug smile on her beak. Nugget simply glared back, looking unintimidated by her stature.

"No, Filo! Bad!" Raphtalia scolded, quickly pulling at Filo's collar to keep her from initiating another fight.

"Seriously, could you two give it a break?" Naofumi sighed.

"Lord Shield Hero!" Naofumi and Kiryu looked over at the village lord, the old man smiling in appreciation. "We cannot express our gratitude enough for your efforts! Now we can continue with our lives unimpeded by the princess or the Spear Hero."

"Yeah, well… I didn't do this for free." Naofumi cleared his throat, attempting to seize back his colder persona. "While it's nice that you're all back to normal, I still need my reward."

"Master Naofumi…" Raphtalia huffed, tugging on his cloak.

"Don't worry about that." Kiryu stepped up, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I've got plenty of money saved up. I'll foot the bill."

"A-Are you sure, Kiryu? We wouldn't want to put this payment on the town's savior!" Lute's lord asked in shock.

"I don't mind. I'd say Naofumi's more than deserved his pay." Kiryu said, smiling at the Shield Hero.

Naofumi stared at him for a moment, looking genuinely touched by the notion. But quickly finding himself, he cleared his throat, assuming a more composed expression. "I don't want money. That should be spent on the town's renovation funds."

Kiryu raised a brow, crossing his arms over his chest. "I see. Then what is it you want?"

"First, I want… uh…" Naofumi looked hesitant again, looking away in thought. But as he got ready to answer, he felt Filo's beak prod his shoulder lightly. He followed her line of sight, seeing an old cart nearby left alone. "Huh. That'd be a good place to start."

"Oh, right. Filolials like pulling carts, right?" Raphtalia said, looking up at the bird and smiling.

"Alright, then. We'll take a cart like that, if not that one specifically." Naofumi pointed out.

"Of course, Shield Hero! We should definitely be able to spare you a cart if you please!" Lute's lord nodded fervently.

"Seems like a good idea if you're going to travel more. Is that all?" Kiryu asked curiously. Naofumi shifted his gaze to him, his eyes looking hesitant again.

"Well…"

"Go on, Master Naofumi! Ask him!" Raphtalia urged him quietly.

"Shh! I'm getting to it…" Naofumi huffed, suddenly looking nervous again.

"Ask me what?" Kiryu raised a brow, remembering that Naofumi had a similar reaction earlier that day.

"I wanted to… say that… in the future, I'll likely need some help. During a quest or maybe even the Wave." Naofumi scratched the back of his head, unable to meet Kiryu's eyes. "So, as a favor for today, I'll ask you to help me out some time. And I expect you to give me a hand. Okay?"

"Oh, Master Naofumi…" Raphtalia sighed, obviously disappointed.

"Be quiet…"

It was obvious that Naofumi was dancing around something else entirely, that much Kiryu was sure of. But not wanting to push the subject, Kiryu smiled. "Alright. If you need any help sometime, come and find me."

Naofumi and Raphtalia smiled, both nodding in affirmation. "Well, I think that's all I'll need. Come on, Filo. We've got to get our stuff from the inn."

"Ah, before you go, Shield Hero!" Lute's lord called out, running over and drawing a gold plate from his cloak. "If you're going to travel, this should help you."

"What's this?"

"It's a trader's pass. You'll be allowed to take many different roads and enter villages without paying tolls now that you have this!" he explained, causing Naofumi's brow to rise in interest. "You should consider doing some trading as you travel. It might prove rather lucrative to your endeavors!"

"That's… actually really helpful. Thanks." Naofumi smirked, tucking the pass away. "That reminds me. Hey, Kiryu? I want to work a deal out with your friend Julius."

* * *

"Hm… so you want to sell my potions as you travel?" Julius asked, surprised.

"Sure. You've got good stuff here, that's clear. I've already used quite a bit of what you gave me before." Naofumi nodded. "If you give me a few crates, I'll sell them while I'm on the road. I'll just take a percentage of the take. How about twenty five?"

"T-Twenty five?! That's a big cut!" Julius blurted. "This deal is interesting, but I'm not sure I could take such a huge loss! How about fifteen?"

"Twenty." Naofumi haggled.

"Seventeen!"

"Deal." Naofumi smirked, offering a hand.

Julius let his jaw hang for a moment before sighing, taking his hand and shaking it. "I never expected to do this kind of business, but if it'll help you Shield Hero, I don't mind. You can do twenty percent if you like."

"Heh, that's alright. You've got to make money too." Naofumi shook his head. "Thanks for all your help with reading. I'll be sure to keep your guide as a reference so I can practice as I travel."

"I was happy to be of service. I'll get a couple crates ready. Go ahead and wait outside with Kiryu..." Julius said as he grabbed an empty crate and began to fill it. Naofumi turned around and walked outside, Kiryu leaning back against the shop with Raphtalia.

"Well, looks like my first bit of business is handled. Once Julius is done, we'll be hitting the road." Naofumi announced, drawing a nod from Raphtalia.

"It'll be a shame to leave. I do like the people in this town quite a bit," Raphtalia said with a thoughtful smile. "I'll have to thank Melonie before we go for helping take care of us."

"She'd appreciate that. She seemed to love you." Kiryu smirked at her before turning to Naofumi. "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now. You be careful on the road, alright?" Kiryu said, offering a hand.

"Yeah. We will." Naofumi took it, shaking it firmly but taking a moment to let go. His expression softened as his eyes cast to the side. "Kiryu… listen…"

"Hm? What is it?"

Naofumi was silent for a short moment before sighing. "Nevermind. Just… thanks for everything. I… I really appreciate it."

"I was just returning the favor." Kiryu nodded, letting go of his hand.

"You say that, but I still feel like you've done more for us than the other way around…" Naofumi sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"You've done plenty. Don't be a stranger and feel free to visit us whenever you want." Kiryu said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'll be ready for whatever favor you need."

Naofumi gave him a warm smile and nodded. "I'll hold you to that."

Soon after that, Julius came out and brought his potions for Naofumi, giving his eternal gratitude and bowing in farewell. After making a stop at the inn to bid Melonie farewell, the three set off, with Kiryu being the last to bid them goodbye at the edge of Lute.

"Pew~pew~pew~!" Filo chirped as they road out of town, the filolial looking happy as can be to be pulling their cart.

"Blegh…" Raphtalia groaned, hunched over the edge of her seat.

"So you do get motion sick…" Naofumi sighed as he watched the demi-human's suffering.

"I-It's okay… I can manage…" Raphtalia mumbled out, hoping to not burden her master.

"If you say so…" Naofumi said, focusing on the road.

"H-Hey… Master Naofumi?"

"Yeah?"

"How come… you didn't ask Mister Kiryu to join us?"

Naofumi clenched his jaw, looking at Raphtalia from the side. "I just… don't think it was the right time."

"You… you trust him, don't you?" Raphtalia asked.

"... Yeah, I do. I just… I don't know." Naofumi sighed, feeling unsure. "I'm sure he's got plenty going on for himself worrying about Lute Village."

"Maybe… but… I really like him." Raphtalia admitted, her expression somber despite the sickness. "He stood up for us when no one else would. It would have been nice to travel with Mister Kiryu."

"... Yeah. I do too. Maybe… maybe we will in the future."

 **To be continued…**

 **Thanks as always goes to my beta chidoriprime for their help!**

 **FINALLY! I finally got a chapter done for one of the stories sitting on my shelf! About time XD It's been a strange few months for me, so forgive the obvious lateness of this chapter. But for those who are unaware, I made a decision some time ago to no longer stick to a schedule like I had, as it was incredibly taxing. It's no one's fault but my own for overcrowding my catalog, but what's done is done, and now we're back! It's nice because I hadn't thought I'd be able to finish a chapter before the holidays, but thankfully this one came to me quicker than the others.**

 **So yeah, there you guys have it! Naofumi's fully aware of Kiryu's background now (not the meaty details but the gist of it I suppose lol) and is quite alright with it, to no one's surprise. And obviously, he wanted to take their relationship… to the next step. But he got cold feet and chickened out in fear of rejection XD honestly writing those scenes was kind of funny because it felt like writing a guy who's desperately trying to confess but can't do it outright, so he looks for other reasons to have them work together in the future lol**

 **Anyway, that's it for this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed, please leave a review, a follow and a favorite if you'd be so kind :) Oh, and before I forget, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!**


	9. A Dragon's Limit

**Disclaimer: I own neither the Yakuza series or Rising of the Shield Hero**

A Dragon's Limit

"Well… I wasn't expecting you back so soon."

"Y-Yeah… I guess I did make it seem like it'd be a while longer."

Kiryu smirked at the amusingly awkward moment between him and Naofumi. It had only been a day since his departure, and strangely enough Naofumi had come right back.

"So, did you forget something?"

"No, not really, we're just passing through. I thought I'd stop by and… show you why." Naofumi sighed as he waved for Filo and Raphtalia to come closer.

"Hi, Mister Kiryu!"

Kiryu blinked, eyes darting around when he heard the voice of a young girl. It certainly hadn't been Raphtalia, who's tail swayed behind her as she sported a sheepish expression. "Who was that?" He asked, finding no one else around.

"It was me, Mister Kiryu!" Filo suddenly towered over him, her beaked face smiling ear to ear.

"... Did Filo just talk?"

"Yeah. She did." Naofumi didn't sound very thrilled by this development.

"... Huh." Kiryu stared up at the puffy bird, raising a hand and petting her head. "That's new. Nugget's obviously older than her and he hasn't said a word, even if he clearly has something to say. So I'm guessing there's something special about her?"

"Ah, be careful, Mister Kiryu! She doesn't just talk now, she-"

"Ah, that feels good, Mister Kiryu!" Filo cooed in pleasure. In a sudden puff of smoke though, Kiryu found his hand touching nothing but air as the bird disappeared from sight. "Here, rub my head now!"

Kiryu's gaze trailed to the ground, following the voice to find a little girl in Filo's place. A blonde haired, feather winged and very naked girl staring up at him expectantly. "Uh… huh?"

"Yeah. She can transform into _that_ now." Naofumi dryly chuckled, draping the girl quickly in a blanket. "You can see why we're headed back to the slave trader now, right?"

"Yeah… I can see why now." Kiryu mumbled, unsure how to take all of this.

"Pew?" Kiryu's eyes trailed to the side when he heard Nugget close by, the black filolial tilting his head curiously as he approached.

"Hmph! It's _him._ " Filo's eyes narrowed in annoyance before immediately shifting back into her true form, causing Kiryu to take a step back in surprise. "What do you want, dummy?"

Nugget's head recoiled in surprise before his eyes narrowed in irritation, releasing a low hiss. "Pewa~!"

"Shut up! You're a fatty, fatty!" Filo chirped in irritation, trying to charge at Nugget until Naofumi and Raphtalia got in her way, holding the bird back.

"Filo, stop! We didn't come for you to fight!" Raphtalia huffed as she shoved against the filolial.

"Hey, what did I tell you?! Behave!" Naofumi scolded her.

"He called you fat?" Kiryu looked back at Nugget, his filolial sticking his tongue out at her. "And you can understand him?"

"Pewa!"

"Shut up! I'll eat you!"

"Okay, glad we caught up but I think we need to go…" Naofumi sighed, pushing Filo away. "Sorry, Kiryu. Just thought I'd stop by and tell you what's going on. Might see you on our way back out."

"Alright, you… take care of this…" Kiryu put a hand on Nugget's feathered breast, keeping him back. The filolial let out what Kiryu imagined was a hissing chuckle as he taunted Filo, causing his owner to raise a brow. "Well, now I'm curious as to what you've been saying this whole time."

Nugget answered by blowing a raspberry.

* * *

It had been over two weeks since Kiryu last saw Naofumi and Raphtalia. They had come through town only once more, passing through after having Filo's slave crest strengthened to keep her from going wild. Life had returned to what was relatively normal for Kiryu and Lute Village. Despite initial fears that the King or the Princess might try to cause trouble for Kiryu out of spite for previous events, nothing seemed to pop up in the long run. The knights made short rounds to check in on the village in case of problems, and that was thankfully without any stuck up knights that Kiryu had previously encountered.

Still, Kiryu didn't remain idle. He continued to train and raise his level with Nugget. Though they were noticeably having trouble leveling up at one point, their typical monsters becoming too low level and yielding very little experience. It was clear that they would need to take on larger quests to gain suitable amounts of EXP. It was rather tedious work, but Kiryu knew it was necessary.

But on top of that, he had other plans for Lute Village.

"You want to develop a better defense for the village?" The Village Lord raised a brow in minute surprise. He had gathered the Village Lord and some of the owners of the local shops, including Melonie and Julius.

"Yeah. It was clear just after the first wave how underprepared we are for more attacks. While I can protect the village the best I can, I can't be everywhere at once. And if these Waves are going to become stronger, the fatalities will be a lot harder to handle."

"That's true. While it's unlikely for our village to become the central focus of the next Wave, we should still take precautions. Monsters will attack us regardless of how few." Julius agreed, having spoken about it with Kiryu the previous night.

"You're both right, of course. But the problem is that Lute doesn't have the coins to fund a meaningful defense measure." The Village Lord grimaced as he stroked his beard.

"I'm willing to take a cut in my profits to put toward the defensive measures. I'd rather lose some extra coin than lives." Julius offered, Melonie nodding in full support.

"We do hope that our other shop owners are willing to do the same. We have to think about who we can save, don't we?" Melonie looked around at the townsfolk.

"I'm willing to help out. But to be honest, I don't know if I can sacrifice too much of my profits or else I'll have trouble staying open." The inn owner said with a sheepish expression.

"The same for me. While I make a decent profit, I still have to be able to purchase my goods." The tavern owner admitted, earning a few nods of agreement from the other various shop owners.

"It's clear that even if we pooled the money that the shop owners can spare, we likely won't have enough." Lute's lord grumbled, giving Kiryu an apologetic frown.

"I see. I guess it wouldn't be that easy. And even if I were to take more quests with higher pay, they're usually quests that cost a lot of time on top of it." Kiryu put a hand over his mouth, stroking his chin. "We need to find a way to make coin fast…"

"But how can we do that? We're all used to making money at a slow but steady pace." One of the other shop owners pointed out, others nodding in agreement. "Even if we were to pool our funds now, we're still set back by the repairs around town."

"We'll have to go for something extravagant to be sure," Melonie couldn't help but agree, rubbing her arm. Kiryu spared a look around, seeing that there really wasn't any option that they could offer him. With a sigh, he decided to take the lead.

"I'll make us the money. But I will need everyone's help to get started." The townsfolk looked at Kiryu in shock, the town protector's expression firm. "It won't be the cleanest option, but it'll give us the coin we need."

"'Cleanest'"? You're not planning to steal anything, are you?" Julius gaped at him.

"Nothing like that. But the business we can start up still isn't the greatest." Kiryu sighed, looking around at the villagers. "I think that the fastest way for us to make the money would be to start a… new business. A gambling hall, so to speak."

"Gambling hall?" The village lord looked uneasy, but sounded curious. "What exactly is that?"

"It's a place for people to go and waste money at. Somewhere that we can gather people together from out of town and get them to spend tons of cash. It'll be hard, and it might start slow. But from what I understand, there aren't many gambling halls or casinos around in Melromarc. If we do this right, we can make something very profitable."

"I see. I suppose that gambling is a bit of a dirty business. But if it's for the safety of the village, I'm in." Julius and Melonie gave nods of approval. "What do you need the rest of us to do?"

"I've got a bit of money saved up, but I don't have enough to start it up. If you all have money to give, I'm asking that you give it to me as a loan. If I can get us started, I promise that I can make your money back and then some. Everyone will have a piece."

"But… what if it doesn't work?" One of the shop owners asked, unsure. "How will we make our money back?"

"Then I'll just have to find another way to pay everyone back. Go on adventuring full time, find some treasure. I promise that no matter what happens, I will pay everyone back for helping me. I'll just need time to get the business started and running." Kiryu put his hands at his sides, bowing deeply to the other villagers. "Please. I want to protect this village however I can. I won't let you all down."

"Oh, Kiryu… you know we all trust you." Lute's lord brought Kiryu's gaze back up, the other villagers smiling at him. "You've done well to protect our people thus far. We owe you a great deal more than some money on loan. I'm willing to give what I can to help this project out. What about the rest of you?"

"Let's do it!"

"For Lute Village!"

"We'll back you all the way, Kiryu!"

Kiryu smiled at their support, raising from his bow. "Thank you all. I promise that I won't waste the opportunity. I'll make us the money we need."

"So, where do you want to set this gambling hall up?" Lute's lord asked.

"For now, I think we should start small." Kiryu looked at the tavern owner. "Do you think we can start gambling at the tavern? With the money we have, we can expand what room you have if needs be."

"Gambling at the tavern, eh? Not a bad place to start! Leave it to us!" The owner smiled, giving a thumbs up.

"Great. That'll be to make us some money in the short run while we build the real hall." Kiryu stroked his chin, looking around. "I think we should expand into part of the forest. Cut down some of the trees and build a separate area just for the hall."

"It doesn't sound like a bad idea. But why not put it in town?"

"If the gambling hall gets big enough, we'll likely have to worry about the customers causing a ruckus and getting too rowdy." Kiryu explained. "It'll be close enough to town that it'll help all of the businesses here, but out of the way enough to not impose on the villagers."

"Ah, that's a good idea. Best not to disturb the peace we've got if we can afford to keep it separated." Julius agreed.

"Alright. We'll go over the surrounding layout and see if we can find a good spot for you." Lute's lord said. "Why don't we all head home for the day and gather what coins we can provide for Kiryu to begin, hm?"

"That sounds good. I'll go over details with Julius and Melonie and we'll work things out from there." Kiryu smiled, bowing again. "Thank you all for the support."

"We'll be counting on you, Kiryu! We know you'll do right by us."

With that, the townsfolk dispersed, Kiryu leaving with Julius and Melonie. "So, what's our plan from here?"

"We're going to come up with the games that the gambling hall will have. I have a bunch in mind that we can use." Kiryu decided before looking at Melonie. "I'll need your help to organize the gambling area at your tavern too. You know the place best, after all."

"Leave it to me! The owner knows how important this is, so they'll definitely work with us!" Melonie pumped a hand at her side.

"Thanks. I'll get what supplies we need for them. We'll speak to the local carpenter about what he can do for expansion. We might have to get an outside company to help out with the big stuff, though."

"How big do you plan to make this gambling hall?" Julius asked.

"It doesn't need to be anything extravagant. We just need it to make enough money to supply for the defenses and make everyone their money back." Kiryu hummed in thought, looking down. "Still, it can't be too small or it won't make enough to profit from."

"It sounds like you've done this quite a bit before. Did you run a gambling hall before?" Melonie's voice conveyed a bit of her awe.

"Not a gambling hall specifically, but the man who raised me like a father did. He showed me a few tricks on how to start it up, too. I have managed a few properties though, so I have good experience running businesses."

"You've certainly lived an interesting life, Kiryu." Julius noted in a conflicted voice.

"Interesting's one word for it." Kiryu chuckled. "But I can at least put it to work here. So let's…" Kiryu came to a stop, his stomach twisting as he looked down the road. Coming up the street was a cart packed with cages, strange mongrel beasts locked within and snarling. It was led by a troupe of guards, with a rider up front.

"Slave traders… typical." Julius grumbled, rubbing his arm awkwardly as he knew Kiryu's feelings on the matter. "Just ignore them, Kiryu. It doesn't look like they have any Demi…" Julius was quieted when they saw the back end of the wagon. Being led forward in chains was a single demi-human child, walking barefoot across the earthen ground.

"Oh, no…" Melonie put her hands over her mouth, horror filling her eyes as she watched the demi-human walk with a minor limp. Their head was lowered and their eyes looked void of hope. Kiryu's chest wrenched. A single, small boy with short silver hair and long dog ears on top of their head. Being treated like an animal.

Kiryu's hand shook at his side, and he felt his legs begin to move. "Wait, Kiryu!" Julius put a hand on his chest, panic in his eyes. "You can't!"

"You're okay with this?" Kiryu accused through gritted teeth.

"Of course not, but you know how much trouble you can get in! You're already in hot water with the King, we don't want to make it worse." Julius reminded Kiryu, though his own expression was struggling to stay straight, his eyes watching the young boy with regret.

It got worse when the boy's legs gave out, falling to the ground in exhaustion. The caravan stopped while one of the guards went to the back and stood over the boy's prone body. "What do you think you're doing?! Get up and walk, dog!"

"I-I can't…" They whimpered out, slowly pushing against the ground to stand. In answer, the guard kicked him in the stomach.

"Who says you have a choice?! Get up!"

"I'm so thirsty…"

"Then take a piss and drink it! I'll make you walk on all fours if I have to!" The guard raised his foot as he prepared to step on the boy's back. But he was soon shoved back, causing him to stumble.

Melonie stood in front of the child, eyes full of hate. "What do you think you're doing?! He's just a kid!" Melonie cried out, sticking her chest out as she stood in front of him.

"Hey! What business is it of yours that we do with our slaves?!" The guard snapped, gripping at a whip at his hip. "That's our property, and we'll do with it as we please!"

"You're real trash, you know that? Treating a child like a thing!" Melonie snarled, huddling down next to the demi-human. "Are you okay?" She asked, reaching her hands out to grab him. The boy seemed to recoil on instinct, causing Melonie to quickly stop. "It's okay, it's okay. I'm-"

"I said get **away** from our property!" The man raised his whip, ready to lash into Melonie's back. That was until a fireball erupted in his chest. The other guards stiffened, drawing their heads up to see a furious Julius gnashing his teeth.

"Don't _ever_ touch my wife!" Julius snarled, turning his wand toward the other guards.

"Keep your woman in line! She's handling our property!" The caravan's guards drew their swords, getting ready to surround Julius and Melonie.

"You're not going to touch either of them." Kiryu stepped in front of the Harkens, cracking his knuckles and burning his deathly gaze into the guards. "And if you value your lives, you'll back off."

"H-Hey… isn't that the town's protector we heard about?" One of the guards asked, taking a step back. "The Weaponless Hero…"

"I don't give a shit who you are! That's our property and you're interfering in our business!" The supposed leader said, likely the main trader of the group. "So I'll give you one last warning before I take it out on the slave. _After_ we deal with you!"

"If you think you can… then go ahead…" Kiryu twisted his neck back and forth, letting out loud and satisfying cracks. " _Come!"_

 _ **Slave Traders**_

The closest guard charged Kiryu. Typical. One of them thought they could end it quickly. That the stories were just that. So Kiryu decided to put the truth of the legend on full display.

He stepped forward, his gauntlets shifting into full size and blue sparks surrounding them. Kiryu smashed his fist through the man's leather breastplate, sending him flying backward and crashing into several others. Of course, they barrelled further back with him, tumbling across the ground like bowling pins. The remaining guards stared in awe, slowly shifting their gaze back to Kiryu.

It was too late for them to back out of this fight now, though. Kiryu was pissed and raring to beat them all down, especially their leader. He was charging full speed at the others, jumping up and letting out a furious roar as he drop-kicked the leader across the chin. Kiryu felt the bones crack under his boots, watching him sail back several feet as he landed on the ground, but quickly rolled back to avoid leaving himself open.

Only two guards remained after the leader, but they were clearly scared shitless by now. Kiryu dashed forward and slammed his fist into the first guard's stomach before grabbing him by the collar and swinging him into the other like a ragdoll. They both hit the ground with a thud, a tangled mess of bodies left by his onslaught.

Kiryu wasn't done though, reaching onto the back cart and grabbing one of the cages half his height. He let the beast inside out, the monster scurrying away to freedom without issue, before hoisting it overhead and walking to the leader.

"W-Wait! Please! We-"

"HNNAAGH!" Kiryu brought the cage down on him with devastating power, the cage giving out over the man's chest. Kiryu dusted off his gauntlets as he turned to the other guards, most still on the ground and barely getting to their feet. But as Kiryu stared them down, they quickly cowered away, picking one another up and running off without another word. The only one remaining was the leader who laid at his feet, mostly unconscious.

"You bastard…" Kiryu looked over his shoulder to see the last remaining guard. He was the one who Julius had blasted with magic. The one who had kicked a child like a small dog. Julius raised his wand to do so again, but Kiryu waved him off. "You're all going to pay for this when the knights hear abou-"

Kiryu snatched his throat faster than he could react, choked breaths sputtering from his mouth. "Before that. You're going to pay the price, first." Kiryu slammed a fist into the guard's gut hard enough to make him buckle over. Kiryu dragged him closer to the cart before throwing his arm over his shoulder. And to the bizarre sight of all watching, Kiryu picked him up in the air and held his legs up high. Right before dropping him back down in a devastating suplex against the edge of a cage. Julius and Melonie winced, as did the rest of the townsfolk watching. The guard's body hung limply over the cage, clearly unconscious from the abuse he suffered.

"Is he… alive?" Julius asked hesitantly.

"He's breathing." Kiryu shrugged, putting a finger over his nose and feeling a small bit of air. "Not that I'd care either way with scum like this."

"Right…" Julius sighed, looking at the mess they had made. "I'm… sorry for not acting sooner. I just don't know what's going to happen now…"

"It's fine. You were trying to think logically. But I can't always do that." Kiryu admitted with a small smirk, looking back at Melonie. She was hugging the young boy close to her chest, the dog eared demi-human looking at Kiryu with wide eyes filled with awe. Kiryu let out a soft chuckle before turning back to the leader. "Well, I have one idea on how to handle this."

"What's that?"

"You'll see." Kiryu strutted over to the leader, soft whines of pain the only indication that he was conscious. "Hey. Wake up." Kiryu slapped his face before grabbing his chest and pulling him up.

"H-Huh? Wha…" He was obviously still quite out of it, but Kiryu had very little sympathy to offer.

"Give me ownership of the boy." Kiryu demanded, shaking him lightly. "Did you hear me?"

"Wh-Wha..? Ownership..?" The man seemed to start coming to, eyes bulging out of his head when he realized what he said. "B-But I can't… I was offered a big sum to find a demi-human bra-" Kiryu's seething glare cut him off. "K-Kid! I was offered a lot for that kid! And the guy who wants it is a big deal!"

"Tell him you couldn't find one. He'll have to find his pleasures somewhere else." Kiryu would have liked to beat the man who was trying to buy the kid as he clearly had no good intentions. But right now, his focus was on covering their own asses. "Otherwise you're going to get what he got."

The leader saw his man's still unconscious body limp over a cage, his face paling. "P-Please! No more!"

"Then give me ownership. I'll even give you what I've got on hand in exchange." Kiryu fished into his jacket, holding up a pouch of coins that he had recently got from a quest. "So you either take it and call it square, or I beat you until the trade is free."

"D-Deal! Deal, just please! No more!"

"Good. We'll get it in writing too, so that if the knights come asking, they won't be able to say anything." Kiryu dropped him to the ground, looking over his shoulder. "You can add that other monster I let go to the agreement."

"What other monster?"

"The one that was in the cage I smashed on you."

"O-Oh…"

* * *

It had taken some time for the slave trader to get his bearings enough to write out a contract. But after some time and minor healing from Julius (only enough that he could write), the contract was written up and all parties signed on their end. Keel had been restored somewhat with a potion and food, the demi-human curled up in a blanket close by with Melonie sitting close.

"Hey." The slave trader winced at the edge in Kiryu's voice. "Why's the kid labeled as 'the Demi-Human'?"

"B-Because I don't know if it has a name…" The slave trader admitted, lowering his head as Kiryu stooped over him. Kiryu shifted his gaze back, looking at the child.

"Hey, kid."

"Y-Yes?" The boy squeaked out, drawing his gaze away from Melonie.

"What's your name?"

"... K-Keel."

"Keel. Put that name down. You can specify that he's a demi-human, but you'll use his name. Got it?"

"Y-Yes sir!" The slave trader quickly wrote it down. Kiryu was thankful that he had learned enough of the written language to understand a good bit. But thankfully Julius could read it fully for him. "H-Here! All done!"

Julius took the paper, taking a moment to read it all the way through. With a satisfied nod, he gave Kiryu his affirmation. "Looks like we're all set. Keel is now officially ours."

"Alright. You can leave now." Kiryu jerked his thumb toward the door. "Don't come through this town again."

"Y-Yes sir! I won't!" The man scurried away from his chair, almost crawling to make it to the door. He stopped for a moment before looking back. "O-Oh, but-"

"What?" Kiryu met him with a heated glare.

"N-Nothing! I-I just thought I'd point out that that's… a girl…" Kiryu and Julius blinked, both turning around to look at Keel.

"Huh?"

"N-No I'm not! I'm a boy! My papa said so!" Keel complained, tail wagging anxiously behind them.

"... We'll… deal with that later." Kiryu wasn't sure if this was a subject that was totally in his power to discuss, turning back to the man. "Just get lost already."

"Y-Yes sir!" With that, the slave trader took off. With the man gone, Kiryu turned back to Keel, walking over with Julius.

"Well… now that we officially 'own' Keel here, we can get rid of that slave crest." Julius said, raising his wand. "I'm capable of dispelling the crest. Just say when."

"Y-You're setting me free?" Keel asked, looking at them all with wide eyes.

"Of course, Keel. You're free now. And don't worry… Julius and I discussed it, and you'll be staying with us. If you don't mind." Melonie smiled, sitting at eye level with Keel to make them feel comfortable. The demi-human rubbed their arm, looking at the ground shyly.

"W-Well… I don't really trust humans much, but… you did save me…" Keel's eyes looked up from the ground before going to Kiryu. "Will… you be around?"

Kiryu raised a brow, surprised. "Yeah. I live with them, currently. Though I think I'll give up my room and move out so that you can move in."

"D-Don't do that! I want you to stick around, big bro!" Kiryu's head recoiled at Keel's sudden intensity.

"Really? You want me to stay around?"

"Of course! You were so cool! Watching you beat those slavers was so awesome! I never saw anyone get slammed on their back against a cage like that!" Keel's words spilled out like a tidal wave, somewhat embarrassing Kiryu as he recalled how he took down the large number of slavers.

"A-Ah, I see…"

"You shouldn't be surprised. All the kids in town love to mimic you after you saved us from the thieves." Julius laughed.

"True. You're more popular with the kids than you think, Kiryu." Melonie agreed. "Well, we don't have many spare rooms, but maybe we can work something out?"

"Well, I didn't want to impose by sleeping on the couch." Kiryu explained, rubbing the back of his head. "And I'm not sure I want to stay in the barn with Nugget."

"We can share a room, big bro! I'd be happy to!" Keel looked up at Kiryu with stars in their eyes, making the hardened Yakuza veteran take another step back from their intensity.

"Why are you calling me 'big bro'?" It was a familiar phrase for Kiryu, of course. So to be called it again in a completely different setting was somewhat off-putting.

"Because I want to learn how to fight just like you, big bro! That's definitely what being a man is about!" Keel began to shadowbox, mimicking some of Kiryu's actions from before.

"... This always ends up happening…" Kiryu sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What do you mean?" Asked Melonie, surprised by his resignation.

"Nothing…" Kiryu looked down at Keel, the demi-human's eyes shining in amazement as they looked up at him. "Look… I'll stick around, but I can't promise I'll teach you anything-"

"Great! I'm so excited to learn from you, big bro!" Kiryu could only smile at their enthusiasm, but soon fixed them with a firm expression.

"Alright. But if I stick around, you have to stand by a few rules."

"O-Okay. What is it, big bro?"

"First off, don't… nevermind, you can call me big bro." Kiryu relented but adjusted. "If you're going to stay in this place, you have to treat your elders with respect. Especially Julius and Melonie. They'll be looking after you more than I will. Got it?"

"Yes, big bro!"

"Good. We'll go over more later. For now, you should head out with Melonie. You were planning to take them clothes shopping, right?"

"Yes. We'll find the right stuff for him… or her?" Melonie pursed her lips.

"I told you, I'm a boy! Once I level up, my banana will grow in and be huge!"

Kiryu and the other adults of the room remained silent, the sound of imaginary glass breaking somewhere in the back.

"... We'll just… let Keel get what clothes they want." Kiryu suggested, unsure what approach to take on the subject.

"Th-That sounds like a good idea." Julius half laughed, scratching his head.

"Alright. Well, come on. We'll find something you like." Melonie rubbed Keel's shoulder, leading them toward the door before leaning back and whispering, "I'll find out which it is when I give Keel a bath!"

"Huh? What was that?" Keel asked innocently.

"Oh, nothing! Let's go!" Melonie urged, keeping her arms wrapped around the demi-human's shoulders. Kiryu and Julius waited for the two to leave before they finally relaxed their shoulders.

"I swear, you seem to attract a lot of strange ones, don't you?" Julius looked at Kiryu with a laugh.

"You're the one who summoned me. If anything, I'd say you're the one bringing odd people around." Kiryu countered, smirking at him. "Thanks again for taking Keel in."

"We were just as responsible for what happened this time. And I still feel guilty for suggesting we don't do something." Julius admitted, massaging his neck. "I… I hope I can make up for that as we watch over them."

"Don't feel too guilty. You both did the right thing in the end." Kiryu tried to reassure him.

Julius gave a small nod and a thin smile. "Yes… I guess you're right. Well, let's just take this one step at a time and make sure Keel's taken care of."

"Right."

With that, the living situation became more complicated at the Harken's house. Kiryu, for the time being, occupied the living room couch. Despite protests from Keel for them to share the room.

 **To be continued…**

 **Hey, everyone! Sorry for the short chapter, I just wanted to get a certain bit out to you guys that I had planned. But don't worry, next chapter I think will be a little more bulky, as I have some fan plans ahead in regard to Kiryu's planned gambling hall.**

 **And now we have Keel joining the Harkens as Kiryu's biggest supporter! They were lucky that they came across Keel on their way to a certain lord's house. But now we'll get to see the demi-human run around a bit more freely.**

 **Also, next chapter I'll likely give Keel's exact gender. My story isn't geared for anything like gender politics, so we'll establish her as a girl and leave it at that.**

 **That aside, glad to finally be writing again! I've been having to find my edge for writing slowly, but it's coming back. I just need to get more focused. So much stuff has been coming out and I've been kind of everywhere, trying to do different things. Don't expect the same release schedule, but at least I'm back in action. Hopefully I'll at least be on a shorter span of time when releasing.**

 **Oh, and one final bit of news, this story now has a TV Tropes page! If any of you know how to work on that site, I'd love to see people add their notes to it and some funny tropes!**

 **With that, I hope you all have a good week, please leave a review, a follow and a favorite if you'd be so kind :)**


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